2023-12-17 11:24:59
Near-record rains have caused potentially deadly floods in the Australian state of Queensland (northwest), authorities announced on Sunday.
The floods particularly hit the city of Cairns, a major tourist center opening onto the Great Barrier Reef, whose airport was closed, according to emergency services.
Rivers in the region were already saturated after a tropical cyclone hit this week, which flooded highways and caused trees to fall.
A ten-year-old girl struck by lightning in southern Queensland on Saturday was in a critical condition.
Some areas of the state have recorded more than 600 millimeters of precipitation in the past 24 hours, and another 500 millimeters could fall in the next 24 hours, meteorologist Laura Boekel said Sunday.
“These flash floods can be dangerous and deadly precisely because of their sudden nature,” she said at a news conference.
The situation “is very serious, and could get worse,” said Queensland Premier Steven Miles. “I’ve spoken with people who have lived on the ground in the far north of the state their entire lives and say they’ve never seen anything like this,” he added.
Mr Miles said the rapid rise in water had led to the closure of Cairns airport, where there were fears of flooding exceeding the record floods caused by a cyclone in 1977.
Some 10,500 people are without power in the state, he added.
Emergency services also carried out multiple evacuations and rescues, and five emergency centers were opened. However, no deaths or disappearances have been reported at this stage.
A senior fire and security official, Stephen Smith, called on residents to stay at home. “These events can be life-threatening, there’s no point in people going out to go here or there,” he said.
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