SYDNEY - AUSTRALIAN police said on Saturday they had recovered the body of an elderly woman whose car was swept off a bridge by raging floodwaters in the country's north-east.
Waters more than 1m deep surged over the Six Mile Creek crossing at Kin Kin, near the tourist town of Noosa, during flash floods in Queensland state late on Thursday, officials said.
'The vehicle was quickly swept downstream and out of sight. Searches of the immediate area by (a witness) failed to locate any trace of the vehicle or its occupant,' police said.
Officers found the car late on Friday, but the woman was not inside. Her body was found 1.5km downstream on Saturday morning, police said.
Floodwaters were receding but officials said at least 1,000 people remained stranded in the region and in the neighbouring state of New South Wales, which was also hit by a freak deluge on Tuesday night.
Several townships were declared natural disaster zones after the sudden downpour hit towns around Coffs Harbour, about 570km north of Sydney.
The weather bureau said further storms were forecast for Saturday night and into Sunday, which could add to the damage, already estimated at close to US$30 million.
'After all the rain we've had up there ... there is the possibility winds could put the trees over,' a spokesman said.
'If a fairly strong front comes through then that could possibly cause storm damage as well as flood damage.' Severe weather has ravaged Australia's east coast in recent months, with a series of cyclones unleashing floods in the north.
Tinder-dry conditions in the south prompted savage wildfires in Victoria state last month that claimed 173 lives and razed entire towns. -- AFP
Source:
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_359371.html 
Connect with Facebook
Body found in floodwaters 
Linear Mode
