1 dead, thousands urged to evacuate as Australia's northeast battles floods

SYDNEY — 

One idiosyncratic died connected Sunday successful Australia's northbound Queensland authorities successful dense flooding, authorities said, urging thousands of radical to determination to higher crushed due to the fact that of torrential rains.

Queensland authorities said large flooding was underway successful coastal Hinchinbrook Shire, a locality of astir 11,000 radical astir 500 kilometers northbound of authorities capital, Brisbane. Several suburbs successful the adjacent metropolis of Townsville were besides affected, authorities said.

North Queensland has ample zinc reserves arsenic good arsenic large deposits of silver, lead, copper and robust ore. Townsville is simply a large processing halfway for the region's basal metals. In 2019, terrible floods successful the country disrupted pb and zinc ore obstruction shipments and damaged thousands of properties.

"Residents successful low-lying areas should cod their evacuation kit and determination to a harmless spot connected higher ground. This concern whitethorn airs a menace to beingness and property," determination exigency absorption authorities said connected Sunday morning.

The flooding was triggered by dense rainfall from a low-pressure strategy affluent successful tropical moisture, Australia's upwind forecaster said connected its website, adding that 24-hour rainfall totals were apt up to 30 centimeters.

"The imaginable for heavy, locally aggravated rainfall and damaging winds whitethorn proceed into aboriginal adjacent week taxable to the spot and presumption of the trough and low," it said.

Frequent flooding has deed Australia's eastbound successful caller years including "once successful a century" floods that inundated the neighboring Northern Territory successful January 2023 during a multiyear La Nina upwind event.