Raising the roof. Two local residents salvage goods from a fish market severely damaged by a whirlwind that ripped through parts of Gorontalo City at 12:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday. (JP/Syamsul Huda M.Suhari)

Whirlwinds ripped through parts of Gorontalo city on Tuesday, damaging dozens of homes and a fish market. 

Fishing villages in Pohe subdistrict, Hulonthalangi district, Gorontalo, suffered the most damage. According to locals, at least 75 houses had been damaged.

'The whirlwind, which came from the sea, approached land when heavy rains occurred at 12:30 p.m. local time,' said Irma, a local resident. No one was hurt in the disaster.

In Pabean subdistrict, the roofs of several houses were blown off by the whirlwind.

Kayadin, 36, a Pabean local, said the roof of his two-storey, house which was located in the estuary of Bone River, was partially torn off by the whirlwind.

He said the whirlwind ripped through his village twice. 'The first whirlwind went on for 10 minutes and it was followed by a second one that lasted five minutes,' said Kayadin.

The whirlwinds also blew the roof off a fish market.

'Vendors quickly evacuated from the building when they saw a whirlwind approaching,' said head of the Gorontalo fish market, Irvan Ali.

In almost all parts of Gorontalo, electricity went out for four-and-a-half hours after trees collapsed on several power poles. (ebf)

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