Woman killed,two missing in Australia flooding

Twenty towns and cities have been affected by the flooding,with the situation worsening every day.

A woman swept from the road in her car has become the first victim of massive flooding in the Australian state of Queensland,where at least two more persons have gone missing.

The 41-year-old woman’s body was found two kilometres downstream in the Leichardt River in Queensland’s Gulf Country,local media reported on Sunday. She had disappeared last night when the car she was travelling in was washed off a causeway at Floraville near Burketown.

Authorities were also searching for a 38-year-old man in the flooded Boyne River,south of Gladstone,in central Queensland. Water police,local surf lifesavers,volunteer marine rescuers and two helicopters were combing the area for the missing man.

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In Rockhampton,authorities suspended the search for another man feared missing in Fitzroy river.

Queensland authorities are appealing to people to stay out of floodwaters.

Twenty towns and cities have been affected by the flooding that engulfed an area with the size of New South Wales. The situation is worsening day by day. Southern inland communities know the torrent is on their way and are preparing for it.

Rockhampton is the focus of Queensland’s flood crisis,with parts of the town isolated and homes at risk as the Fitzroy River rises. Authorities said water is swamping parts of the city faster than originally forecast,and they are considering forced evacuations.

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About 1,000 properties are surrounded by floodwater,with the river expected to rise to a peak of about 9.4 metres on Wednesday.

The city’s airport has been closed and power cut to some areas.

The towns are also starting to count the cost. Bundaberg is moving on to the recovery stage,after its worst flooding in 40 years,with all the houses affected now out of floodwaters. Bundaberg Acting Mayor Tony Ricciardi says authorities do not know yet how many people have been affected by the floods. “… there could be a couple of thousand,may be more,people involved here,” he said. “I think it was as much as 700 in the city area that had some sort of damage from the flood. The town of Theodore,west of Bundaberg,with its 300-strong population is being catered for in emergency accommodation.”

It may be days before some evacuees can return to their homes in the central Queensland town of Emerald. Floodwaters are receding in Emerald but the city remains divided by the swollen Nogoa River.