The death toll is rising after historic floods in Australia. But there is still no all-clear and the authorities expect more victims.
Sydney/Brisbane – The death toll from the devastating floods in eastern Australia continues to rise. Two other victims have been confirmed in the particularly affected city of Lismore, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported, citing the authorities.
Three people have now died in the state of News South Wales. According to the police, another victim was also recovered in neighboring Queensland. Ten people have died here so far.
In view of the dramatic situation in many areas, the authorities expected further deaths. “Realistically, we know we may see more deaths in the coming days,” said New South Wales Deputy Premier Paul Toole. “This is a catastrophic event.”
triggers of the floods
After visiting the city of Ipswich, Queensland Regional Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the situation was “indescribable”. It will take a long time to rebuild the region. The people are inconsolable. Many are crying and don’t know what to do next.
The emergency services continued to work tirelessly to help people in need. Hundreds of schools remained closed, roads were blocked. There was still no all-clear: meteorologists predicted further heavy rain with possible flooding, especially for the region around Australia’s largest city Sydney and for the south-east of Queensland. The Queensland Weather Service warned of “large to gigantic hail” and “possibly destructive gusts of wind” on Twitter.
The extreme weather was triggered by a slow-moving low-pressure area. In some areas it had rained as much in a few days as it normally does in a whole year. Entire towns were virtually “swallowed” by the water masses. The brown floods were meters high in many houses and streets. dpa
