Reef hit hard by cyclone

Cyclone Yasi caused patchy but severe damage to Australia's Great Barrier Reef when it tore through last month, with some areas little more than rubble, scientists said yesterday.

But while pockets of centuries-old coral was destroyed and recovery may take decades, most of the damage was confined to areas with so little tourism that many of the reef sites don't have names, with major areas spared.

The assessment, by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority, surveyed 36 reefs - some 190 miles of the reef that makes up the popular tourist site, which contributes billions of dollars a year to Australia's economy.

Assessment co-ordinator Paul Marshall said: "There were some reefs that were very severely damaged - in some of those areas there was hardly a coral left alive and big places of coral rubble and broken plates.

"That was pretty heart-wrenching, to see just how some of these areas have been affected. Some of these areas were coral gardens I knew quite well and now they're reduced to rubble."

Yasi was rated a maximum-strength category five storm and was roughly the size of Italy.