Near-record rainfall has caused potentially deadly flooding in the Australian northwestern state of Queensland, authorities said on Sunday.
The floods particularly hit the city of Cairns, a major tourist center on the Great Barrier Reef, whose airport was closed, according to emergency services.
Rivers in the region were already overwhelmed after a tropical cyclone struck this week, flooding highways and toppling trees.
A 10-year-old girl who was struck by lightning in southern Queensland on Saturday was in a critical condition.
Some areas of the state have recorded more than 600 millimeters of rain in the last 24 hours, and another 500 millimeters could fall in the next 24 hours, meteorologist Laura Boekel said on Sunday.
“These flash floods can be dangerous and deadly precisely because of their sudden nature,” she said at a news conference.
The situation is “very serious and could get worse,” said Queensland Premier Steven Miles. “I have spoken to people who have lived locally in the far north of the state all their lives and said they have never seen anything like this,” he added.
Mr Miles said the rapid rise in water had led to the closure of Cairns Airport, where there were fears the flooding would surpass record flooding from a cyclone in 1977.
About 10,500 people are without power in the state, he added.
In addition, emergency services carried out several evacuations and rescues and five emergency call centers were opened. However, no deaths or disappearances were reported at this time.
A senior fire and security official, Stephen Smith, urged residents to stay at home. “These events can be life-threatening, there's no point in people going out to go here or there,” he said.