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JP;FADLI;STE;CD; ANPAa..r.. Highlight-Batam-storm JP/2/HIGH Woman dies, houses damaged in gale

INDONESIA: A woman died and hundreds of houses were damaged when a storm with high winds hit nine subdistricts in Batu Ampar, Batam city, in the Riau Islands province on Saturday.

Bengkong Harapan village chief Rizal said the storm with its gale-force winds hit suddenly at noon.

"Parts of my house's roof are gone; they flew away with the wind," Rizal told The Jakarta Post.

A housewife, 35-year-old Jusmani, was buried in her house in Bengkong Laut after it collapsed when a tree fell onto it.

Head of the data and information section at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Batam, Alep Sunarto, said his office had recorded the wind speeds reaching 100-kilometers per hour.

Batam city spokesman Guntur Sakti said about 200 houses were damaged by the storm.

"Currently, we're erecting a temporary shelter for those who have lost their homes in the disaster," Guntur said. -- JP