'Cyclone sandwich' smashes into Australia

Two powerful cyclones, Lam and Marcia hit Australia on Friday, about 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) away from each other.

Cyclone Lam hit a sparsely populated area of the Northern Territory, while cyclone Marcia crashed into Queensland state with a speed of up to 285 kilometers per hour (180 miles). The two together were being referred to as the "cyclone sandwich."

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk warned around 30,000 residents living in the area of a "harrowing and terrifying experience," adding that she wanted all residents to take "all the precautions that they possibly can take."

More than 10 schools were closed and around 900 people living in low-lying areas were told to evacuate their homes. Ambulance services and emergency plans had been activated in the areas, the premier said.

"This is going to be a calamity, there's absolutely no doubt about that," Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said amid Bureau of Meteorology warnings that Marcia had a "very destructive core" and was rapidly intensifying.

Marcia was classified as a category five storm, used to measure cyclones with gusts of more than 280 kilometers per hour. Australia experienced its last category five cyclones, Oswald, in 2013 and Yasi in 2011 which caused severe flooding and destruction.

The worst cyclone in the country's history was recorded on December 25, 1974 when hurricane Tracy hit Darwin, killing 65 people and flattening over 90 percent of the city's homes.

mg/rc (AP, AFP)