Mini tornado was 'worse than Yasi'

NEWS: Thunder, cracks of lightning and then a tornado. Photographer Scott Radford Chisolm gives an account of the fury of Townsvilles early morning tornado.

The aftermath of the Townsville tornado. Picture: Chisholm Scott Radford Source: Townsville Bulletin

Scenes from the Townsville tornado. Picture: Daniel Bateman Source: Townsville Bulletin

A mini tornado has ripped the roof off homes in Townsville. Picture: Daniel Bateman from Twitter Source: Supplied

A MINI tornado has hit Townsville, ripping roofs off homes with winds at over 111km an hour and left locals with no power.

About 60 homes are damaged and 13 people had to be treated for injuries, some suffering cuts and abrasions.

Premier Anna Bligh visited the disaster zone today, saying she was shocked by the scale of the damage. Some victims would not be back into their homes for months, she said.

At least 25 homes had their roofs torn off - when the storm cut a narrow band of carnage through the city's western suburbs about 5am today.

Winds above 110km/h lashed suburban Vincent, Aitkenvale, Pimlico and Gulliver, causing some homes to partially collapse.

Trees were snapped in half, power lines downed and debris strewn across yards and roads.

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Mini tornado was 'worse than Yasi'