A man has been found dead in a flooded car with ten others reported missing on Wednesday after heavy rain in eastern Australia sparked flash floods and unleashed a series of emergency alerts on the Pacific Coast.
The body of the drowned 60-year-old was found in Queensland state early on Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in parliament, calling the incident a “tragedy”
A cargo train overturned near the city of Gympie, and its driver was also lightly injured, the station said.
Emergency services were receiving more than a hundred calls for help, and swift water rescue teams were dispatched to recover dozens of stranded dwellers.
Fifteen dams in Queensland have been utilised, and more rainfall is expected in the coming days.
Local media cited Sunshine Coast district police chief Craig Hawkins as saying 10 people were missing as well.
After several years of drought and climate-aggravated bushfires, eastern Australia is enjoying an exceptionally wet summer following a La Nina weather pattern.
Heavy rain has also reached New South Wales, prompting parts of Sydney to be temporarily submerged on Tuesday.
