Tornadoes, huge hailstones wreak havoc in Australia

Canberra, Oct 12  Tornadoes and a thunderstorm "supercell" swept across Australia's Queensland state, with reports of four people injured by tennis ball-sized hailstones, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Friday.

The dangerous weather system hit the state's south-east on Thursday, reports the BBC. 

One tornado struck Tansey, a town 250 km north of Brisbane, snapping trees and ripping roofs from houses.

The nation's strongest tornadoes form during supercells - a type of storm that is also frequently accompanied by damaging hail.

On Thursday, large hailstones and winds gusting up to 98 kmph caused extensive damage to buildings and crops. Social media users also reported injuries to themselves and also animals.

A woman posted images online of bruises and scrapes across her body.

Another man described the storm as "pretty intense", telling the BBC he had seen "flash flooding, countless trees down, and damage to vehicles from the hail".

Almost 10,000 properties remained without power on Friday.