ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 15, 2012) – A tornado hit a small southern Philippine town early on Saturday, but there were no reports of deaths, army officials said.
Soldiers were sent to the town of Kabasalan in Zamboanga Sibugay province to help in the clean up after the twister destroyed the roof of the main market and damaged several small stalls, including the garage of the local police headquarters.
One person was rushed to hospital for minor wounds after being hit by debris, said Col. Gerry Barientos, commander of the local army forces.
“It is back to normal now in Kabasalan as if nothing happened. It’s good that no was killed in the twister,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner by phone from the province.
The town’s mayor George Cainglet said the tornado struck at around 3 a.m. when most people were still asleep.
He said the extent of the damage caused by the twister could be higher, saying many structures were destroyed by the strong vortex of wind that rolled on Kabasalan’s main business district. (With a report from Ely Dumaboc)
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