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Tornado kills teen in E Cape
20/02/2008 09:03 - (SA)
Amelia de Milander, Die Burger
Port Elizabeth - Weather specialists were convinced it could only have been a tornado that caused destruction at 300km/h in villages in the former Transkei on Monday afternoon.
The possibility that another tornado could follow was not excluded.
A teenager, 16, was killed instantly and more than 500 people were left homeless by the tornado, accompanied by thunder and heavy rains, which developed between Butterworth and Nqamakwe.
According to police spokesperson captain Jackson Manatha, Ntutuzelo Msengana and 12 other pupils from Upper Mtwaku Primary School in Nqamakwe were on their way home in a school bus when the storm hit.
Started panicking
"The bus driver (his name is unknown) apparently realised what was happening when he noticed roof tiles flying," said Manatha.
"He immediately stopped the bus. The strong gust of wind caused Ntutuzelo to panic and he tried to get out through one of the bus windows.
The boy was halfway out when the tornado hit the bus, apparently at an estimated speed of 300km/h, and overturned it. It landed on top of Ntutuzelo.
According to Eastern Cape disaster manager John Fobian hundreds of thousands of rands worth of damage was done to houses and the school.
"The roofs of more than 40 homes were blown off and three of the primary school's temporary classrooms collapsed.
"We have already informed the Red Cross and the local municipalities and requested help for the more than 500 people who have no roof left over their heads," said Fobian.
It seemed as if the tornado developed in the Cradock area earlier on Monday, picked up speed in a southeasterly direction and spent itself near Butterworth.
Wilna de Klerk reported that a storm wind uprooted trees in Cradock, ripped off branches and crumpled roofs. About 19mm of rain fell in a short time.
"The former Transkei is not called 'tornado valley' for nothing," said Garth Sampson from the Port Elizabeth weather service.
According to him the thunderstorms in this area were known for "abnormal movements" at more than 120km/h which easily develop into a tornado.
"That area is ideal for this. A lot of heat and humidity flow over the interior, causing these abnormal storms," he said.
The summer is "tornado season" and according to Sampson thunderstorms predicted for the rest of the week could cause more storm winds. "The tornados are no strange phenomenon for the local people. They call it Nkanyamba - the snake that comes out of the sky and strike everything that comes in its way."
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