Australia sends in troops to aid recovery after cyclone

AUSTRALIA yesterday sent in 4,000 troops to help coastal towns left splintered by a monster cyclone, as officials urged stranded victims to stay calm until help arrives.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the move — the country’s biggest domestic military mobilisation in more than 30 years — would aid north Queensland’s recovery after the category five storm roared into the state on Thursday.

The announcement came amid reports of looting following the storm, and following the first death linked to Yasi: a young man who suffocated on fumes from a generator running in an enclosed space.