The body of a second man who died when a vehicle was last week swept into flood waters in Australia’s New South Wales state has been found, as towns throughout New South Wales and in Victoria state remained on high alert.
Police yesterday confirmed that police divers had found the man’s body after the vehicle was on Monday swept off a flooded causeway in Bevendale, about 280km southwest of Sydney.
The first body was found on Thursday. Two other men in the vehicle at the time managed to swim to safety.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“While the bodies are yet to be formally identified, they are believed to be the missing men,” police said. “The search operation has concluded and a report will be prepared for the coroner.”
The floods crisis continues across the two states, but local authorities reported that waters were subsiding in some areas.
About 20,000 residents are expected to remain without hot water and gas for cooking in Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon and Wallerawang for about another month after a gas pipeline was damaged due to the Macquarie River flooding.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The Lachlan River at Forbes yesterday reached a peak of about 10.7m — slightly below the record set in 1952. The town has been effectively cut in half due to road closures, although it remained too early to measure the scale of the damage.
“It’s going to be a big couple of days of emergency response in this community until these flood waters recede, and then we can get in and do those damage assessments,” New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) Chief Superintendant Ashley Sullivan told reporters.
SES Forbes unit commander Robert Walshaw expected the cleanup to be slow because it would take several days for the flood waters to drain.
“I’ve seen shots of it from the air and it’s just water everywhere,” he said.
There were warnings in place for Forbes residents regarding fast-flowing water that could have contaminants such as toxic chemicals and sewerage.
The SES expects that Condobolin, on the Lachlan further downstream, would be impacted by flooding later this week.
In Wagga Wagga, evacuation orders were lifted and people were told they could return to their homes after the Murrumbidgee River peaked on Friday at 9.72m — the highest level in a decade.
Renewed river rises were likely at Carrathool and farther downstream at Hay, with major flooding at Hay possible from the middle of this month.
There were 291 calls for SES assistance in the 24 hours to 4pm yesterday, including 11 flood rescues, with 99 warnings — including 16 emergency warnings — still in place.
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said authorities were better prepared than during floods earlier this year in Lismore, which he described as “a freak weather event.”
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