Monster cyclone Yasi smashes Australia

A MASSIVE cyclone crashed into northeastern Australia yesterday, ripping roofs from buildings and cutting power to thousands of homes, but leaving the scale of disaster unknown as officials and residents holed up while the tempest raged.

Yasi is a maximum strength category five storm and has drawn comparisons with Hurricane Katrina which wrecked New Orleans in 2005.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the destructive core of Cyclone Yasi hit the coast at the small resort town of Mission Beach in Queensland state. Dozens of other cities and towns in the region — known to tourists worldwide as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef — were being battered by heavy rain and winds forecasters said could reach gusts of 186 mph (300 kph).