A man has died after being swept away by Queensland flood waters while crews try to verify multiple others who’ve called for help are safe.
A man is dead and the safety of more than a dozen people is unconfirmed in Queensland’s flood emergency as wild weather hampers rescue crews from reaching them.
More than 650mm of rain fell at Mt Kanigan, 200km north of Brisbane, while similar downpours have resulted nearby areas being drenched.
The body of a 22-year-old Sunshine Coast man was discovered in a ute on Saturday morning after it was reportedly swept off Cherry Tree Road at Kanigan near the Bruce Highway.
Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski stressed the seriousness of the “evolving” situation, saying a range of rescues has already been performed.
“We’ve seen a large number of people already trapped and a significant number of rescues,” he said.
Twenty-three people in 11 vehicles have been reported so far, with authorities able to verify the safety of eight of them.
However because of difficulties accessing certain areas, emergency crews have been unable to reach 15 people and their condition remains so far is unknown.
Four people rescued have been taken to hospital in Bundaberg.
Four others were rescued from a flooded house at Booyal, 85km west of Hervey Bay.
Residents in the town of Gympie were issued a major flooding alert at 7.30am on Saturday, with all motorists advised to stay off the roads.
Similarly, Maryborough locals have been warned to prepare to move to higher ground, secure their belongings before the floodwaters peak.
The Mary River is expected to exceed the major flood level of nine metres in the greater Maryborough area on Sunday morning.
Parts of the Bruce Highway appear to have been washed away near Curra, with motorists urged to seriously reconsider travel plans.
Cars have also been washed off the roads and houses flooded, with rescue teams deployed to hardest hit areas on Friday night.
Locals in Gunalda, north of Gympie, reportedly spent the night sheltering at its local petrol station as properties were inundated with water.
Flood waters in Gympie are expected to peak on Saturday afternoon.
It comes after flash flooding warnings for those between Paradise Dam and Mt Kanigan on Friday night as much of the state’s southeast battled wet and wild weather.
The rain was caused by ex-tropical cyclone Seth, which mostly impacted Queensland’s far north.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the remnants of Seth had moved over land in the southeast and was weakening rapidly through Saturday.
A trough extends across western, central, and southern Queensland, and will contract into western Queensland over the next few days.
A high in the southern Tasman Sea extends a ridge along the east coast south of Townsville, the high will linger near New Zealand for several days maintaining the ridge.
A monsoon trough also extends across the northern Coral Sea.
The low or tropical cyclone is forecast to cross the far northeast coast on Monday, moving west across Cape York Peninsula during Monday and Tuesday and drawing the monsoon trough across northern Queensland.
The low or tropical cyclone is forecast to reach the Gulf of Carpentaria on Tuesday then continue moving west.
Originally published as Man swept away by Queensland floodwaters as roads close, cars washed away
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