Cyclone lashes remote Australian coast with wind, rains

SYDNEY (AP) — The vast and powerful Cyclone Trevor has crossed a remote area of the northern Australian coast, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains amid safety fears for a small number of residents who’ve stayed in the area.

A category 4 cyclone, with 5 being the strongest, Trevor made landfall Saturday at 9:50 a.m. local time (2250 GMT) in the far east of the Northern Territory.

Most of the sparsely populated area has been evacuated, but with wind gusts up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour), police have issued safety warnings for the small number of people who have stayed put — mostly farm owners and mine workers.

Meanwhile Cyclone Veronica, another category 4 storm, is expected to cross the northwest Australian coast later Saturday.