Australia’s Christmas Storms: 6 Dead, 3 Missing

After heavy thunderstorms battered Australia’s eastern states over the Christmas holidays, authorities claimed at least six people were killed and three more were missing, with tens of thousands of families in Queensland without electricity.

Victoria and Queensland Police verified the deaths of six persons, the youngest of them was a nine-year-old girl who was swept away in a flooded stormwater drain.

Police continued their search for two people who went missing after the boat capsized near Brisbane’s Green Island. They are also hunting for a 46-year-old woman who was caught in flood waters near Gumpie, north of Brisbane.

Glen Hartwig, Gumpie Mayor stated, “It’s tragic news for families in this region at Christmas time”.

On December 25 and 26, severe thunderstorms brought huge hailstones, powerful gusts, and torrential rains to the eastern states. In some of the worst-affected places, rivers flooded and powerful winds knocked apart houses and brought down trees.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has issued minor flood warnings in the eastern states, and further rain is expected.

Energex, Queensland’s state-owned utility, reported on Wednesday that approximately 86,000 households remained without electricity following the storms. It went on to say that it had suffered major network damage, with more than 800 power lines, and that it would take days to restore power to some people.

The storms come after former Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall earlier this month, bringing flooding and significant devastation in Queensland.

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