A devastating "mini-tornado" tore through the city of Townsville on Tuesday, March 20, ripping roofs off houses, snapping trees in half and injuring 13 people as wild weather pounded northern Australia, AFP reported.
The Queensland State Emergency Service (SES) said it received dozens of calls for help, with 13 people needing treatment, mostly for cuts and abrasions. Three were hospitalised.
"Rapid Damage Assessments in the Townsville area have recorded approximately 60 homes with varying degrees of roof damage," the SES said, adding that at least six of the properties suffered significant structural damage.
Meteorologists, who said the freak storm could not officially be called a tornado as there was no funnel, recorded winds of up to 111 kilometers (69 miles) per hour, leaving thousands of homes without power.
The weather bureau forecast further heavy rain.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who faces being thrown out of office in state elections this weekend, said it was a frightening experience for the people affected. "It appears to be something akin to a mini-tornado. It has taken roofs off houses and there's a lot of vegetation down and that's caused enormous damage," she said.
She added that the suburbs of Vincent, Pimlico and Gulliver had been affected, with heavy rain continuing to fall into the exposed interiors of roofless homes.
Wild weather caused problems elsewhere in Queensland's north and far north, with widespread flooding in places.
Nine people had to be rescued from their cars after becoming trapped between two causeways near Cairns, the Queensland Department of Community Safety said, while a key highway was cut off by a landslide.
