Dozens of homes were damaged and power lines torn down after a tornado struck a city in the Philippines on Friday morning (June 5).
Officials said the powerful storm ravaged portions of the area in , Purok Islam, General Santos, when it hit at 1am, ripping off the roof of houses and uprooting trees.
Council leader Minda Faelnar said that their household was woken by the unusually strong winds that hit their area, the first time in more than two decades.
He said: “When we checked, we saw the surroundings in disarray due to uprooted trees and scattered roof parts.'' No casualties were reported in the incident, which toppled several electric posts and cut off power supply for several hours in parts of the village.
Binrio Binan, weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration station here, said that the tornado was formed due to a combination of thunderstorms and strong winds.
Binan said the pattern of the damage showed that it started inland and proceeded to the coastal area.
He added: ''We expect similar disturbances to happen due to the inter-tropical convergence zone and the easterlies, which could bring thunderstorms.''