Thunderstorm lashes parts of Brunei

A STRONG thunderstorm lashed parts of Brunei yesterday, uprooting many trees and damaging rooftops.

The strong gales accompanied by heavy showers struck at around 6pm with winds reaching up to 29 knots. However, there was no loss of life.

The Fire and Rescue Department hotline received 42 distress calls from all four districts regarding uprooted trees and roofs that were blown away, a spokesperson told The Brunei Times last night.

"There were 30 calls concerning fallen roofs and 12 about blown rooftops from Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Sungai Liang in Belait. There was even one from Bangar, Temburong, about a fallen tree," she said. A car was nearly hit by the debris of a rooftop that was blown away by the winds onto a nearby road in the busy commercial area of Gadong, an eye-witness said. Maintenance workers of nearby buildings were immediately despatched to clean up the shards.

Drivers were also seen parking their cars on the side of the highways to remove fallen tree branches, obstructing the road.

The Brunei Meteorological Service said it had been expecting squally showers for the past few days.

"What happened just now was the passing of a squall, which caused the strong winds," the duty forecaster told The Brunei Times yesterday. (HHM1)

The Brunei Times