A flooding emergency in Australia’s east continued on Tuesday as rescue crews scrambled to reach stranded people by boat and helicopter.
Local media reported eight deaths in southern Queensland and one in northern New South Wales.
Images from the hardest-hit areas showed waters that have almost entirely covered buildings, and residents sheltering on their roofs waiting to be rescued.
The towns of Gympie in Queensland and Lismore in New South Wales were among the most severely affected areas.
The extreme weather was triggered by a slow-moving low-pressure system.
Forecasts showed it was expected to move south on Tuesday, with Sydney and the southern coast warned to prepare for heavy torrential rain and possible major flooding.
Sydney has already experienced days of rain.
Meteorologists have called this summer the city’s wettest in 30 years.
Some 300,000 people in New South Wales should prepare for a potential need to evacuate, state emergency minister, Steph Cooke said.
Australia is being particularly badly affected by climate change.
In mid-January, large parts of the country were still sweltering under a merciless heat wave, with temperatures of more than 50 degrees recorded in the west of the country.
