East Timor: Tropical storm destroys homes, crops

Dili, Jan. 19 (Lusa) - Tropical cyclone "Daryl" has battered East Timor for the past week and already destroyed 200 houses and corn crops in several districts of the new nation, a Dili official said Thursday.

A source in Timor's natural disasters bureau told Lusa that the worst-affected region was Atauro Island, about 25 km north of Dili, and an official on the island said one village had been without electricity for four days due to storm-damaged power lines.

The category 2 storm is currently off the north coast of Australia and expected to ease as it moves south over the weekend.

EL/CJB.

Lusa