Evacuation begins as Tropical Cyclone Alfred off Australia intensified into category 3

KARACHI, Pakistan

Evacuation from a popular tourism destination in Australia's Queensland state began on Thursday as Tropical Cyclone Alfred has intensified into a category three system, public broadcaster ABC reported.

Residents and visitors on Great Keppel Island, a popular tourism destination about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) off the coast of the city of Rockhampton, began evacuating.

The cyclone was 860 km (534 mi) northeast of Mackay city Thursday morning.

A strong wind warning has been issued for the Townsville, Mackay, Capricornia, Hervey Bay and K'gari Coast, whereas a hazardous surf warning is in place for the Capricornia and K'gari coasts.

The cyclone was generating wind gusts of up to 185 km (114.9 mi) per hour and was strengthening as it moved south.

The Bureau of Meteorology said it has high confidence Alfred would remain well off the Queensland coast into the weekend.

However, beyond Saturday, the exact path of the system remains unclear.

"There is high confidence that Alfred will remain well off the Queensland coast into the weekend," the bureau said. "There is high uncertainty though, in regards to Alfred's movement beyond Saturday, with the possible risk that Alfred may move closer to the central or southern Queensland coast by Sunday."

Last week marked 10 years since Tropical Cyclone Marcia bore down on the central Queensland coast, tearing apart homes and businesses, and causing a loss of over half a billion dollars.