At least 4 dead in eastern Australia flooding

Sydney, Australia, Feb 26 (EFE).- At least four persons were killed, and two remained missing Saturday in floods that hit eastern Australia, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people, authorities said.

Heavy rains in recent days have overwhelmed rivers and inundated several Australian cities, including parts of Brisbane, the Queensland capital.

State police disaster coordinator Steve Gollschewski asked people to be prepared for a possible evacuation and follow the instructions.

“We have got contingency planning and place on the ground up there so that we have pre-deployed there with water rescue and water police [and] we are able to operate in that area once the flooding comes through but it is much safer for everybody if we move sooner,” Gollschewski said.

He was addressing a press conference with Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The authorities said all the basins of southeast Queensland were teeming with floodwaters.

“If you need to go to an evacuation centre the best thing to do is to get online and see where the closest one to you is and go there where you can get support,” Gollschewski asked people.

They have issued 11 emergency alerts in the region in the last 24 hours, in one of the worst natural disasters that have hit Queensland in a decade.

The latest fatalities included a State Emergency Services volunteer, who died after being swept away in floodwaters in Queensland overnight, authorities said.

The volunteer was participating in a rescue operation.

Another body was found on Saturday, bringing the toll to four after two people lost their lives a day ago. EFE

aus-nc/ssk