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Wednesday May 14, 2008

Sarawak hit by freak storm

By STEPHEN THEN


MIRI: More than 300,000 people in northern Sarawak were hit by a freak storm carrying winds of up to 55kph.

The incident happened between 8pm and 9pm yesterday throughout the coastal belt from Miri city to Brunei.

Huge trees were uprooted and roofs of houses and buildings were blown off, causing a massive traffic jam in the city centre.

Blinding rain lashed the entire northern belt and strong waves of between 3m and 5m from the South China Sea bombarded the shores.

Miri Meteorological Department chief Sim Jui Cheng warned that strong winds might persist until at least tomorrow. “We have issued warnings to all relevant parties to be prepared for any eventuality,” he said.

Officers at the Miri Weather Station said the most violent wind recorded last night carried a speed of up to 55kph.

“On average, the wind speed was about 35 knots. The violent winds are caused by volatile clouds that had enveloped the northern Sarawak-Brunei belt,” he said.

“This situation is very unpredictable. The weather can become violent suddenly.”

The Miri Fire and Rescue Department said it had received dozens of reports about weather-related incidents, such as cars being hit by falling trees. But as at press time, there were no reports of any death.

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