Australians in some east coast areas urged to evacuate for ‘very rare’ cyclone

Australia braced for a rare east coast tropical cyclone that is swirling towards Brisbane, its third-most populous city, with authorities urging residents in flood-prone suburbs to evacuate soon.

Storm warnings on Wednesday stretched for more than 500 kilometres (311 miles) across the coast in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, impacting millions of people.