Extreme weather - At least ten dead in storms in Australia
Severe storms have claimed the lives of at least ten people in eastern and south-eastern Australia. In the state of Queensland alone, there were seven deaths over the Christmas period, according to the police. The bodies of three men whose boat had capsized off the regional capital of Brisbane the day before were among those recovered. A total of eleven men had set off on a fishing trip when their boat was hit by the storm. The remaining eight anglers were rescued.
According to police reports, the victims included a nine-year-old girl who had been swept away by water masses in a suburb of Brisbane the previous day and washed into the sewers. Two 40 and 46-year-old women drowned in a river after they were also swept away by the floods, according to reports. On the Gold Coast, a 59-year-old woman was also killed by a falling tree.
East of Melbourne in the state of Victoria, a flash flood killed two people at a campsite, according to the emergency services. A man also died due to a falling branch. A 29-year-old woman who, according to police, jumped into the Werribee River to save her dog Minka was very lucky. They were both washed away, but the woman was able to cling to a tree on a small island and was rescued - along with her four-legged friend - unharmed, according to reports.
There had never been storms of this intensity in the region before, said Queensland's Prime Minister Steven Miles. The damage was in the billions. According to media reports, hundreds of buildings were damaged by storms, flooding or hail. Around 250,000 lightning strikes were counted on Christmas Day alone. In Queensland, around 90,000 households were still without electricity due to storm damage to power lines, according to the local supplier.
The Australian Weather Service has been warning for days of heavy rain and thunderstorms on almost the entire east coast. At Christmas, heavy rain caused flash floods in the metropolis of Sydney, leaving streets and buildings under water. The storms should subside on Thursday. It is summer in Australia right now.
The west of the huge continent, on the other hand, is plagued by drought and bushfires. On Tuesday, a member of the volunteer fire department died in a fire southeast of the metropolis of Perth. Australia is particularly affected by climate change. A report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February 2022 assumes that the country will be hit even more frequently by devastating natural events in the future.
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- Despite the bad weather, some women chose to go fishing off the Gold Coast, but one of them was tragically killed by a falling tree.
- The severe weather in Australia has led to power outages, affecting at least 90,000 households in Queensland.
- The floods in southeast Australia have caused significant damage, with hundreds of buildings reportedly damaged in various areas.
- The recent storms in Australia are unprecedented, as stated by Queensland's Prime Minister Steven Miles, leading to billions of dollars in damage.
- In addition to the ten deaths reported, there have been numerous injuries caused by the storms, with many people seeking medical attention.
- The Australian Weather Service has been issuing warnings about heavy rain and thunderstorms along the east coast, urging people to stay indoors.
- The extreme weather conditions have also caused disruptions in rail traffic, with services suspended in some areas of the country.
- Climate change is likely to exacerbate these types of natural disasters in Australia, according to a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Source: www.stern.de
