Storms and flood pound eastern Australia, Thailand and South Africa
by AFP Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Dec 27, 2023

Nine people have died after Christmas storms pounded Australia's eastern seaboard, authorities said Wednesday, including two women who were washed through a stormwater drain.

Thunderstorms and destructive winds have in recent days battered the Australian states of Victoria and Queensland -- capsizing boats, sparking flash floods, and tearing down concrete powerlines.

The government weather bureau has warned that coastal regions in Queensland were still at risk of "dangerous" storms, "life-threatening" floods, "giant" hail, and "damaging" winds.

Three women were "exploring" a large stormwater drain in the rural Queensland town of Gympie when they were swept away by floodwaters on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

By Wednesday police divers had recovered the bodies of two of the women. The third survived after she was washed onto the banks of a nearby river.

Eleven people were tossed into the ocean when a 39-foot yacht capsized at sea during an annual fishing trip near Brisbane.

Police said Wednesday that three men had drowned, while eight survivors had been scooped from the water and rushed to hospital.

"It has been a very tragic 24 hours due to the weather," police commissioner Katarina Carroll told reporters.

The body of a nine-year-old girl was found after she went missing in flood waters on Brisbane's outskirts, police said, while a 59-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Utility company Energex said it was racing to restore electricity to more than 80,000 homes in the state.

"How strong were those storms? Enough to snap multiple concrete poles supporting high-voltage lines," it posted on social media.

Meanwhile in Victoria, a woman was found dead late on Tuesday evening after flash floods swamped a regional campground in Buchan, 350 kilometres (217 miles) east of the state capital Melbourne.

A man was killed after he was struck by a falling tree branch in Caringal, 180 kilometres (111 miles) east of Melbourne.

South Africa floods kill seven, 11 missing
Johannesburg (AFP) Dec 26, 2023 - Rescue teams battled in torrential rain Tuesday to find victims of flash floods across a South African province that left at least seven dead and 11 missing, officials said.

A muddy deluge up to 10 metres (33 feet) deep swept through a district of Ladysmith, in KwaZulu Natal province, destroying homes and carrying away cars, rescuers said.

Six people were confirmed dead and 10 missing, provincial authorities said.

Further south, an overflowing river at Mandeni carried away three people. One eight-year-old boy was confirmed dead and one man was missing, the IPSS rescue organisation said.

Rainstorms held up the search for bodies in Ladysmith, 230 kilometres (140 miles) northwest of Durban, where the torrent hit late Sunday.

Tereza van den Berg, a team leader for IPSS, said that the torrent "in places 10 metres deep" tore through a caravan park and carried away vehicles crossing a bridge.

"Nobody had a chance to grab anything," she said. Some of the cars were found three kilometres downstream.

Three bodies were found in a minibus carrying nine passengers. The other six are still missing.

One body was found in a house that was completely destroyed while two other people who were also inside are still unaccounted for.

At least two other people were killed after becoming trapped in their cars by the floods that swept off the Bellspruit river.

More severe storms were predicted across the province on Tuesday.

KwaZulu Natal has been hit by worsening floods and weather disasters amidst the global rise in temperatures.

More than 450 people died in floods and landslides after a fierce storm hit Durban, the province's main city, in April 2022.

Six dead, tens of thousands hit by southern Thailand flooding
Bangkok (AFP) Dec 27, 2023 - Floods in southern Thailand have killed at least six people and affected tens of thousands of households, authorities said on Wednesday.

The floods, which began on December 22, have hit more than 70,000 homes across the provinces of Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, regional officials said.

Six people including an 89-year old woman and a toddler were killed in Narathiwat, deputy provincial governor Preecha Nualnoi told AFP.

Another person was still missing following days of intense rain, which sparked floodwaters that reached around three metres in height in some places, he said.

Local media footage showed streets submerged by the muddy deluge and residents taking refuge on rooftops.

Relief teams worked by night to hand out bottled water and snacks and check buildings for damage or casualties.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said the water level had reduced on Wednesday morning.

Some rail services in Narathiwat province, which borders Malaysia, had resumed following days of closure due to track subsidence, deputy governor Preecha said.

The kingdom's rainy season typically brings months of daily deluges but scientists say man-made climate change can make rainfall more intense.

In 2011, widespread flooding killed hundreds and damaged millions of homes around the country.

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