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In brief
- Two young people, believed to be Chinese nationals, have died in Queensland floodwaters.
- The pair disappeared while driving between Brisbane and the flood-ravaged North Burnett region.
A community already battered by flooding is grappling with tragedy after two bodies were discovered in a submerged vehicle during a search for missing backpackers.
Authorities suspect the victims are a 26-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, both believed to be Chinese nationals. The pair vanished while traveling from Brisbane to the flood-stricken North Burnett region in Queensland.
The discovery marks the first flood-related fatalities in this rain-drenched area, leaving the Gympie community in mourning, according to local mayor Glen Hartwig.
“They are two young individuals whose lives have been tragically cut short,” Hartwig shared with the Australian Associated Press.
“Our hearts and prayers are with their families as they navigate through this profound loss.”
The disappearance sparked a search of the area from Kilkivan to Mundubbera, west of Gympie, where floodwaters had inundated communities.
Police, SES volunteers and helicopters scoured the region from Wednesday morning, later locating a silver vehicle at Kilkivan Tansey Road.
Police later confirmed two bodies had been found in the car, with divers and forensic teams remaining at the scene to investigate.
The region near where the vehicle was found had been one of the hardest hit by wild weather, Hartwig said.
Up to 400mm of rain fell in 24 hours before floodwaters “absolutely smashed” western areas including Kilkivan, Goomeri, Woolooga, Tansey and Manumbar.
Crops, fences and roads were destroyed but the full extent of the damage won’t be known until floodwaters recede.
“There’s significant infrastructure damage. It is going to take a long time to repair,” Hartwig said.
“Looking at the financial impact on farmers, it will be 12 months before they will take any money from these paddocks that have been destroyed.”
The Chinchilla community northwest of Brisbane is next in line after Bundaberg was flooded on Wednesday, inundating hundreds of houses and businesses.
Police issued an emergency declaration at Chinchilla, setting up an exclusion zone in the Western Downs town as floodwaters threatened.
An evacuation area has been established at the Chinchilla showgrounds, with at least 10 businesses inundated.
Chinchilla’s flooded Charleys Creek was expected to reach a 6.8-metre peak on Thursday, local mayor Andrew Smith told AAP.
Residents are clinging to hope that Charleys Creek, which runs through the town, would not reach the devastating flood levels of 2011.
Back then, Charleys Creek reached a record peak of 7.45m, flooding scores of homes and damaging the prized local watermelon industry.
Door-knocking began in the community’s low-lying areas late on Wednesday warning residents to evacuate before a number of people were reportedly rescued from a campground.
Further west, Longreach is bracing amid fears that low-lying houses may be impacted in the coming days.
In the Northern Territory, multiple flood warnings and watches are in place across the saturated Top End.
The clean-up has begun at Katherine but hundreds remain in emergency shelters after their homes were inundated and some are still without power.
The nearby Katherine River was likely to peak at 17m on Thursday night.
Darwin and Palmerston residents have been told to keep boiling water despite nearby dam pumps restarting after they were shut down by flash flooding.
A mother and her children were rescued from a roof when flash flooding hit south of the NT capital on Monday, swamping about 20 homes,
The federal and NT governments on Thursday announced extended assistance to flood-hit communities.
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