Sydney, Feb 5 (IANS) A second person has died in floodwaters in northeastern Australia, with residents warned to expect more heavy rainfall over the coming days.
Police in Australia’s state of Queensland said in a statement on Tuesday that the body of an 82-year-old woman was found in cane fields near the town of Ingham on Tuesday morning, reports Xinhua news agnecy.
The woman was located at about 11 a.m. local time by a neighbour after the floodwaters receded.
It is the second confirmed death in the flooding crisis in Queensland’s North Tropical Coast region on Australia’s far northeast coast.
Earlier, a 63-year-old woman from Ingham, one of the hardest-hit towns in the affected area between the cities of Townsville and Cairns, died on Sunday when an emergency services boat with six people on board struck a tree and capsized in floodwaters.
In a statement posted on social media, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that he is “thinking of the family and the community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Almost two meters of rain fell in some areas between Friday and Monday but conditions eased on Tuesday, allowing some evacuated residents to return to their homes in low-lying parts of Townsville.
However, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned that Townsville, Ingham and surrounding areas could receive over 200 millimetres of rain in the coming days.
Residents of low-lying parts of the town of Georgetown, over 350 kilometres inland from Townsville, were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday night after a nearby river broke its banks.
A generator was connected on Tuesday night to restore electricity to thousands of properties in Ingham but local mayor Ramon Jayo said that the town woke up to no running water on Wednesday due to a malfunction at the region’s water treatment plant.
The town has been cut off by flooding and is relying on air support for supplies.
Additional water rescue crews and Australian Defence Force personnel have arrived in Townsville to join recovery efforts.
–IANS
int/jk/sd
