Cyclone destroys homes, cuts power to 31,500 on Australia's west coast

SYDNEY - A tropical cyclone on Australia's west coast destroyed several homes and cut electricity to tens of thousands of people overnight before weakening on Monday morning.

Officials said around 70% of the structures in the coastal town of Kalbarri, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of state capital Perth, had sustained damage when the category three storm made landfall late on Sunday. "The devastation caused by Cyclone Seroja is widespread and severe," Western Australia state premier Mark McGowan told reporters.