Residents along the coastal areas at Kampung Sabak and Pantai Irama, Bachok Kota Bharu experienced some anxious moments this afternoon when strong winds started blowing and looked set to wreak havoc.

About 500 students, teachers and staff of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sabak led by headmaster Ahmad Shahir Mohd Hassan gathered in the school hall to pray for protection and recited verses from the Koran.

Ahmad Shahir said he managed to record the phenomenon for a few minutes through his handphone as the winds blew towards the school's entrance.

"I saw a clump of thick clouds swirling, followed by strong winds that shook and almost toppled a decorative tree in the compound," he recalled.

A Kuala Pantai Sabak resident, Nik Hassan Nik Mohamad, 64, said he felt the impending strong winds when the clouds in the northeast started darkening at around 11.45am.