Authorities scrambled to airlift hospital patients from the path of a cyclone roaring towards waterlogged north-eastern Australia today and urged residents to flee potentially deadly flash floods.

AUSTRALIA’S Queensland state is facing one of the worst cyclones in its history, officials warned yesterday, bringing wild winds and potentially devastating rainfall to areas still awash with floods.

A strong tropical cyclone was roaring towards flood-ravaged areas of Australia today, sparking evacuations and warnings from officials that the storm could be the worst the region has ever seen.