SYDNEY - About 700 people were stranded in far northern Australia on March 19 after a tropical cyclone barrelled through their remote community, cutting off links with the rest of the country.

The Australian Defence Force tried to evacuate residents of the small Northern Territory community of Borroloola, but attempts to land aircraft on March 18 were hampered by wild weather.

Residents were urged to find shelter in the community as the cyclone hit on the afternoon of March 18.

The Category 3 storm pummelled the area with heavy rainfall and intense winds of around 170kmh to 200kmh, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

“Poor weather prevented evacuations yesterday, but we expect new deployment will occur today,” said Emergency Minister Murray Watt.

Former tropical cyclone Megan has now been downgraded to a tropical low as winds have eased, but heavy rain continues as the storm system moves inland. AFP