One dead in Australia floods as authorities order evacuation

One dead in Australia floods as authorities order evacuation

SYDNEY
One dead in Australia floods as authorities order evacuation

One woman died in Australia on Sunday as authorities ordered people in the country's flood-ravaged northeast to evacuate and be on the lookout for crocodiles as river levels approach historic highs.

Authorities in Queensland said parts of the state received more than 600 millimeters in 24 hours.

With heavy rains continuing, residents in six flood-prone suburbs of Townsville, a city of around 200,000 people, were told to evacuate their homes yesterday.

The city's disaster management group coordinator Zac Dawes said 2,100 homes were under evacuation orders yesterday evening.

But "about 10 percent" of the community did not heed the order, he said.

Police said earlier that a woman died Sunday after the boat she was in capsized in the rural town of Ingham, around 230 kilometers from Cairns.

Rising floodwaters forced the closure of the local airport and Townsville University Hospital to delay elective surgeries, as the state declared that around 100 schools were "unsafe for students to attend."

The state's premier David Crisafulli warned more rain was forecast in the coming days which could result in "record rainfalls."

The weather conditions were unlike anything the state had experienced "for a long time," Crisafulli said.

"It's not just the intensity, but it's also the longevity of it," he told the ABC national broadcaster earlier yesterday.

"Take the precautions, prepare for the worst, listen to the advice, please don't discount this," Crisafulli said.

The environment department has warned people to be on the watch for crocodiles that may move about in "search of calmer waters."

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