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At least nine people have been killed and 66 others are missing after the latest downpour hit Australia's flood-wrecked Queensland state. Raging torrents rushed through several towns, washing away cars and houses.
Rescuers on Tuesday rushed to reach residents trapped on their roofs overnight as the onslaught of muddy water tossed cars like toys, carried away furniture as it washed through stores.
"We have confirmed a further death. That brings the toll in this incident to nine. Tragically the police believe (the eventual toll) could be more than double that number," Anna Bligh, the Queensland state premier, told reporters.
Scores of emergency calls were made as the flood swamped Toowoomba, a city of about 90,000 in Queensland state.
At least two children were among the dead and Queensland police said the number of people missing had risen to 66.
'Frightening'
Jenna Bowman, a Brisbane resident, told Al Jazeera that the situation was "quite frightening".
"I could see suburbs along the river - they were just going underwater - the Brisbane [flood] barrier has been breached and it is rapidly closing in on the inner city suburbs and lot of people have been told to leave.
"The actual banks of the [Brisbane] river have been breached ... and a lot of places are preparing for the worst ... I dread to think [about the scale of damage] and I have no idea what I will be going home to - when I do get to go home - they expect it to be worse than the 1974 floods that Brisbane faced," she said.
Darkness and fog prohibited the state emergency service helicopters from overnight rescues, and some people were still waiting to be plucked from roof tops on Tuesday morning.
Rescue workers were battling more bad weather on Tuesday as heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the region for most of the day, which could lead to more flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.
Footage showed vehicles flipped and tossed into trees in Toowoomba when the sudden torrent swept through.
"A wall of water came down, picked my ute [utility vehicle] up, pushed it sidewards," said Steve Jones, Lockyer Valley mayor, likening the damage to a cyclone or atomic bomb.
"If it had been a little car it would have killed everyone in it."
Bligh said authorities held grave fears for the safety of a number of people in the nearby Grantham township.
"We are unable to reach some 30 people in the town of Grantham," she said.
"They have all gathered together in a primary school at Grantham. They are completely isolated by fast moving flood waters."
Military search
Bligh said the military would begin searching for stranded people at first light while police issued warnings that residents of low-lying areas of other towns including Chinchilla should evacuate to higher ground.
Julia Gillard, the prime minister, said 150 regions across three Australian states had been hit by the deluge since November.
More than 8,000 claims for emergency assistance had been made, worth $10m, and many more were expected.
But the damage bill would take some time to process, Gillard warned, with the flooding's end not yet in sight and many roads, rail and bridge assets still under water.
The deluge has wiped out crops and brought dozens of coal mines to a standstill, driving up world prices and causing problems for the key steel-making industry.
The disaster is expected to cost Australia at least $6bn.
PHOTO CAPTION
Flash floodwaters cover a street in Toowoomba, Queensland January 10, 2011.
Al-Jazeera
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