Australian towns shattered by cyclone

AUSTRALIA’S biggest cyclone in a century shattered entire towns after pummelling the coast and churning across the country, terrifying locals but remarkably causing no fatalities.

Exhausted residents emerged to check the damage after Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi hit land at around midnight, packing winds of up to 290km/h in a region still reeling from record floods.

Officials and locals said 90% of the main street in the small Queensland town of Tully, south of Cairns, had “extensive damage”, while the coastal community of Cardwell also suffered “significant devastation”.