Australia fears new cyclone

A destructive cyclone is bearing down on the Australian west coast Wednesday a week after another cyclone created widespread damage on the east coast, the weather bureau says.

Photo: Australia fears new cyclone

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone watch along the remote and sparsely populated Pilbara coast of Western Australia state, about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) north of the state capital Perth, as category-five storm Glenda approaches from the Indian Ocean.

"Communities along the Pilbara coast should be aware that severe tropical cyclone Glenda is expected to approach the coast later today and during Thursday," the bureau said in a statement Wednesday.

"Residents of the central and west Pilbara coast are warned of the risk of very destructive winds with gusts exceeding 200 km/h (124 mph) during Thursday as this very dangerous cyclone nears the coast," it added.

The Pilbara region is an important mining and energy hub as well as being the most cyclone-prone region in Australia.

Glenda is the same intensity as Cyclone Larry which hit Queensland state on the east coast on March 20, reports CNN.

I.L.