Powerful cyclone hits northeastern Australia

CANBERRA, Mar 20 (Reuters) A powerful cyclone hit Australia's far northeast early today near the tropical city of Cairns, with winds of up to 290 kph (180 mph) uprooting trees and ripping off the roofs of several houses.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said Tropical Cyclone Larry posed a ''very serious threat to life and property'' in the far north of the Queensland state, forcing thousands of people to take shelter or evacuate.

The winds are the strongest since a cyclone hit the northern city of Darwin in 1974, destroying about 70 percent of the city and killing 71 people.

Prime Minister John Howard has put the country's military helicopters on alert to help with any rescue, but officials said the cyclone was downgraded from a category 5 to a category 4 storm as it came ashore near the town of Innisfail.

''We have roofs flying off in Fly Fish Point, Silkwood and in the city centre,'' Innisfail police told Australian Associated Press. ''And we have trees across roads.'' Cairns is the main tourist centre of north Queensland and is a base for visitors to the Great Barrier Reef, as well as inland tropical rainforests.

REUTERS VJ RAI0507