Cyclone Ita hits Australia\\\'s north coast

A cyclone packing winds of up to 230 kilometres an hour hit Australia's Great Barrier Reef coast Friday night, officials said, as tens of thousands of people hunkered down amid warnings of devastation. Cyclone Ita, while downgraded from a maximum level five to a weakening category four storm, still threatened fierce gales around Cooktown, some 1,600 kilometres from Brisbane. Cyclone Ita made landfall at Cape Flattery and was 65 kilometres north of the coastal resort of Cooktown, and 230 kilometres north northwest of Cairns at about 9:00 pm (1100 GMT). "(Ita) is crossing the coast near Cape Flattery with very destructive winds to 230 kilometres per hour near the core and gales extending out to 185 kilometres from the centre," the Bureau of Meteorology said, according to AFP.