Flash floods on the southeast coast of Australia have killed two people and isolated entire towns, leaving tens of thousands of residents stranded, Reuters reports. Authorities have warned that more heavy rains are expected in the next 24 hours, News.bg reports.
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in several small towns in the Hunter and Mid-North Coast regions of New South Wales state - the most populous state in the country. Most of the Mid-North Coast remains under threat of more intense rainfall.
Police said the body of a 63-year-old man was found in a flooded house near Taree, about 300 kilometers north of Sydney. Another body, believed to be that of a missing man in his 30s, was found in the same region.
“We are bracing for more bad news over the next 24 hours. This natural disaster is devastating for the communities affected,“ said New South Wales Premier Chris Means.
He said 140 flood warnings had been issued and more than 50,000 people were in areas where evacuations were advised. Approximately 9,500 properties were in the immediate vicinity of the risk areas.
Authorities said two men and a woman were missing after separate incidents related to the rising waters.
More than 100 schools were temporarily closed and thousands of households were left without power as a result of the storms and flooding.