Damaging tornado impacts Ginunggung and Bajugan villages, Tolitoli, Indonesia
A tornado accompanied by heavy rain struck Galang Subdistrict, Tolitoli Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, at around 14:00 local time (LT) on July 7, 2025, injuring two residents and damaging several homes.
Image credit: FPMKI
A damaging tornado accompanied by intense rainfall impacted several areas of Galang Subdistrict, Tolitoli Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Monday, July 7. According to local authorities, the event began suddenly around 14:00 LT, affecting multiple hamlets within Ginunggung and Bajugan villages.
Two residents were reported injured during the incident in Dusun Kota Lama, Desa Ginunggung. An 8-year-old student, sustained a head injury after being struck by a metal roof sheet, while a 48-year-old woman suffered abdominal trauma from falling wooden debris and was referred to Puskesmas Galang for treatment.
Initial damage assessments, as reported by police and local media, indicate both severe and moderate structural damage in Dusun Bolokus and Dusun Kota Lama, with several houses experiencing significant roof loss or structural damage. In Bajugan Village, Dusun Babana was among the affected areas, with several homes sustaining roof and wall damage, with some homes having their roofs lifted off.
As of the latest updates, residents of severely damaged homes have temporarily relocated to stay with relatives. Local authorities and police continue to assess the extent of material losses and monitor recovery efforts.
References:
1 Hit by Puting Beliung, Two Villages in Tolitoli Porak-poranda: “Home Roof Flying Like Paper” – Butol Post – July 7, 2025
I’m a science journalist and researcher at The Watchers, contributing to the Epicenter edition, where I cover peer-reviewed scientific research and emerging discoveries across Earth and space sciences. With a background in astronomy and a passion for environmental science, I’ve worked in shark and coral conservation in Fiji, conducting reef and shark-behavior research, contributing to mangrove restoration, and earning PADI Open Water and Coral Reef Certifications. I bring a blend of scientific rigor and storytelling to illuminate the discoveries shaping our planet and beyond.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
- A 19-year-old Nebraska teacher reportedly tied her pupils together with twine and led them to safety through a blizzard in January 1888 Epicenter
- NASA built the Opportunity rover to last 90 days on Mars, and Martian winds helped keep it alive for nearly 15 years by blowing dust off its solar panels, until a planet-wide dust storm in 2018 blocked sunlight and silenced the rover Epicenter
