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Cyclone Lua batters north-west Australian coast | |
(1 day later) | |
A tropical cyclone has battered communities along Western Australia's north-west coast with torrential rain and damaging winds. | |
There have been reports of extensive damage on the Pilbara coast but so far no casualties, local media says. | |
Cyclone Lua crossed the coast as a category four storm but has weakened to category one as it moves inland. | |
Australia's meteorology bureau says gusts of up 100km/h (60mph) are still possible near the cyclone centre. | |
It has issued warnings for the eastern Gascoyne, western Interior and northern Goldfields areas during Sunday. | |
Early on Saturday, Lua crossed the coast between Port Hedland and Broome and caused extensive damage to some remote Pilbara towns, uprooting trees and damaging buildings, Australian broadcaster ABC reported. | |
Recovery teams were on their way to assess the damage. | |
As the cyclone gathered intensity and swept in off the Indian Ocean, Australia's main iron ore mines - which are some of the biggest in the world - shut down. | |
The mines are located around Port Hedland on the Pilbara coast. | |
The last iron ore vessels able to leave Port Hedland before the storm arrived sailed on Friday morning. | |
Global Miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton both have major operations in the area and around 400m tonnes of iron ore passes through the ports each year. | Global Miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton both have major operations in the area and around 400m tonnes of iron ore passes through the ports each year. |
Australia's cyclone season typically runs from November to April and can affect oil and natural gas production, as well as mining and port operations. | Australia's cyclone season typically runs from November to April and can affect oil and natural gas production, as well as mining and port operations. |