Thousands remain without power in Australia after tropical cyclone

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people in Australia's Queensland state remained without power on Saturday two days after a tropical cyclone brought damaging winds and heavy rains.

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, a Category 2 storm, made landfall along the coast bordering the Great Barrier Reef near the tourist town of Townsville, knocking out power to around 66,000 people on Friday.

Kirrily was the second tropical cyclone in the area since December when Jasper caused widespread regional damage as Australia endures an El Nino weather event, typically associated with extreme phenomena including cyclones.

On Saturday, Ergon Energy spokesperson Emma Oliveri said around 48,700 people remained without power due to the cyclone.

The aim was to have the most customers' power back on by the end of Sunday, Oliveri said.

"There will be some outlying areas where it'll be a longer wait," she said, adding that most of the power outages were caused by trees and large branches on power lines.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that military personnel were on standby to assist with the cleanup.

Category 2 cyclones are three rungs away from the most dangerous and can cause significant damage to trees, caravans, and crops, and break boats from their moorings.

(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)