Australian cyclone most powerful in a century

Queensland: The most powerful storm in a century ripped across Australia's northeast coast early on Thursday, blasting apart houses, laying waste to banana crops and leaving boats lying in the streets.

Cyclone Yasi swept entire towns in the disaster zone stretching for hundreds of kilometers leaving thousands homeless.

Authorities say they were surprised to learn at daybreak that no one had been reported killed, but cautioned that bad news could eventually emerge from communities still cut off after the overnight storm.

Hundreds of thousands of people spent the night huddled in evacuation centres or bunkered in their homes with winds gusting to 300 kilometers per hour causing tidal surges that swamped coastal areas.

More than 10,000 people in 20 evacuation centres were being told they could not leave yet.

Power was cut to almost 180,000 houses in the region.

The largest towns in the path of the cyclone, including Cairns and Townsville, were spared the worst of the fierce winds. Although many trees were knocked down, only a few buildings were damaged.

Cyclone Yasi is now moving further inland but thankfully is losing power.