14 hurt, 7 houses damaged by whirlwinds in South Cotabato

COTABATO CITY — Fourteen villagers were injured, while seven houses and two passenger vans were damaged after whirlwinds struck parts of Tupi, South Cotabato during heavy rains on Thursday, May 29.

Tupi municipal police chief Major Rovi Jardenil said on Friday, May 30, that the whirlwinds toppled several trees, which struck homes and residents as they tried to flee its path.

Two Toyota Hi-Ace vans were hit by falling trees while passing by a stretch of highway in Tupi as the whirlwinds pummeled through, destroying seven houses made of semi-permanent materials.

Jardenil and Emil Sumagaysay, who manage the Tupi Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, separately told reporters that the whirlwinds also ravaged farms planted with short-term crops and pineapples in the Crossing Rubber, Cebuano, Lunen, Tubeng and Palian areas in the municipality.

The whirlwinds also hit and damaged roadside billboards, according to both officials.

Personnel from the Tupi Municipal Police Station, the Tupi MDRRMO, and the Bureau of Fire Protection assigned to the municipality immediately cleared the thoroughfares in Tupi that were blocked by debris scattered by the whirlwind, which destroyed seven houses.

Only two of the 14 Tupi residents injured in the incident were brought to a hospital for medication, while the rest had returned to their homes after receiving first aid for their superficial wounds and bruises.