On Tuesday evening at 7.0 pm, 27 February, amidst heavy torrential rain, lightning struck the thatched rooftop of the “Pagaruyuang Ustano” or palace, gutting completely this West Sumatra tourism icon within one hour, reports Kompas daily.

Well-known for its graceful upturned pointed roofs and colourful wood-crafted walls, so typical of traditional West Sumatra aristocratic houses, the Pagaruyung palace was once the home of the Pagaruyung king of West Sumatra. The original building was burned down in 1804. The reconstructed edifice was again razed by fire in 1961 and rebuilt in 1975 as a cultural and tourist icon of this Sumatran province.

President Yudhoyono has promised to rebuild this West Sumatra icon.