At least nine people have been killed as heavy rains and flash floods battered northeastern Australia, in what authorities have described as a “weather bomb”.
Photographs and videos from Queensland, which has been the hardest-hit state, have shown the Brisbane River bursting at the seams and several streets and towns submerged in floodwaters, causing massive damage to infrastructure.
According to reports, citing local authorities, up to 18,000 residential houses in the state have been partially or fully damaged, with 15,000 of those only in Brisbane city.
Southeast parts of Queensland have borne the brunt of the inclement weather, with emergency services rescuing several people from their submerged homes.
More than 1,000 schools have been closed in the region and around 50,000 homes have been without electricity for days.
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On Monday, rescue teams were searching for at least four people reported to be missing, suggesting that the death toll was likely to mount.
Authorities have asked thousands of families to evacuate as the life-threatening floods, which start on Thursday, have submerged towns and villages, stranding residents on rooftops.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the rains as a “weather bomb” that reports said was moving slowly south to New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state.
Morrison was quoted as saying by radio station 4BC that defense personnel would be deployed in flood-hit areas to assist affected people.
Several regions in Queensland have seen a record level of rainfall in February following a nonstop downpour.
“I think everyone would agree, no one has seen this amount of rain in such a short period of time,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Sunday.
Weather forecasters predict more flash floods as rains continue in days to come.
