‘Monster’ cyclone Debbie batters northeast Australia

AYR, Australia: A “monster” cyclone smashed into Northeast Australia Tuesday, cutting power, damaging buildings and uprooting trees, with coastal towns in lockdown as residents battled lashing rain and howling winds.

Great Barrier Reef islands popular with foreign tourists were battered by the category four storm which hit the coast of Queensland state with destructive wind gusts of up to 270 kph near its broad core.