A 64-year-old man from Niudamu in Nakasi suffered multiple injuries from what he described as a mini tornado that hit his home on Saturday, destroying part of it.
Raj Kumar was enjoying the breeze when he saw the mini-tornado moving in his direction. Kumar said it tore apart the porch-like partition beside his home and destroyed his gate.
He said with the impact of the mini tornado, he was blown across the driveway, knocking him unconscious.
Kumar also sustained visible injuries to both of his ankles and minor slashes on his arm and cheek.
“When I regained consciousness, I saw that there was blood everywhere,” he said.
“I didn’t know that it was coming from me until I saw my ankles.
“It was a shocking experience for me, and I would not wish it on anyone.”
He was later taken to the Nakasi Health Center for treatment and was discharged the same day.
More than five families in the area were without electricity as their power lines had been destroyed.
In a joint statement, the Fiji Meteorological Service and the National Disaster and Management Agency confirmed the occurrence of a mini-tornado based on their observations of the damage.
