AKIPRESS.COM - Tornadoes and a thunderstorm "supercell" have swept across Queensland in Australia, injuring four people and causing widespread damage, BBC reports.

The dangerous weather system hit the state's south-east on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said.

One tornado struck Tansey, a town 250km (155 miles) north of Brisbane, snapping trees and ripping roofs from houses.

Elsewhere, four people were injured when tennis ball-sized hail shattered car windscreens, authorities said.

One, Fiona Simpson, posted images online of bruises and scrapes across her body.

"I covered my infant with my body to stop her from getting badly injured.... never drive in a hail storm," she wrote of the incident in the town of Kingaroy.

The nation's strongest tornadoes form during supercells - a type of storm that is also frequently accompanied by damaging hail.