At least eight killed after severe storms batter eastern Australia
Al Jazeera
The dead include a nine-year-old child who was swept into a surging storm drain on the outskirts of Brisbane.
At least eight people have been killed with one still missing after severe storms battered Australia’s eastern states over the Christmas holidays, bringing down trees and power lines and leaving tens of thousands of households without power.
Police and rescue services in the states of Victoria and Queensland confirmed the deaths of eight people, the youngest a nine-year-old girl who was reportedly swept away in a flooded storm drain on the outskirts of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital.
In Gympie, some 180km (111 miles) north of the city, three women were swept into a storm drain when floodwaters surged through the rural town.
One of the women survived, a 40-year-old woman died and emergency services said there were now “grave concerns” for the other woman. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services deputy commissioner Kevin Walsh said rescue teams would continue scouring the area on Wednesday.
“It’s absolutely tragic news for families in this region at Christmas time,” Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig told ABC News.
