Connect with us

International

Eight dead, as floods leave Australia’s Brisbane city under water

Published

on

Eight deaths have been recorded as massive floods on Monday, left parts of Australia’s third-most populous city Brisbane, under water after heavy rain brought record flooding to some of the east coast area.

The flooding in Brisbane and its surroundingd is the worst since 2011 when the city of 2.6 million people was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event, according to the Queensland State Police.

“The latest fatality was a man in his 50s who drowned on Monday after driving his car into floodwater before dawn at Gold Coast city, south of Brisbane.

“The bodies of the man and his dog were retrieved hours later from a submerged car which had been washed from the road,” the police statement said.

Queensland emergency services have warned that more life-threatening flash flooding was occurring in parts of Gold Coast, as emergency crews made more than 130 swift-water rescues in 24 hours, officials said.

READ ALSO: Massive flood in Malaysia leaves eight dead, 41,000 displaced

“All eight flood deaths have been in Queensland state, of which Brisbane is the capital. Search continues for a solo sailor, aged in his 70s, who fell overboard from his vessel in the Brisbane River near the city center on Saturday.

“Police are also searching for a man missing from Goodna, west of Brisbane and another Esk, northwest of Brisbane,” the statement added.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the rainfall over Brisbane had been extraordinary since November when authorities were considering water use restrictions due to a shortage.

“It is still a significant event, and I think everyone would agree no one has seen this amount of rain in such a short period of time in the southeastern area,” Palaszczuk said.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now