A nine-year-old girl who was killed during severe thunderstorms in Australia has been named.
Mia Holland-McCormack was among at least eight people killed over Christmas Day and Boxing Day after the east of Australia was battered by high winds, large hailstones and torrential rain.
Described as having “loved adventurers” Mia’s family wrote on a GoFundMe page that she left home on 26 December over a fence just before a storm hit. She was found unresponsive a few kilometres away.
Victoria and Queensland Police confirmed three men were killed after a large boat with 11 on board capsized near Green Island in Moreton Bay, Queensland.
Tens of thousands of households have been left without power.
Image: Queensland Australia. Pic: Genevieve Faulkner
Meanwhile, the search continues for a missing 46-year-old woman who was caught in floodwaters in the city of Gympie.
“It’s absolutely tragic news for families in this region at Christmas time,” Glen Hartwig, mayor of the Gympie region, told ABC news.
Image: Trees were brought down and rivers flooded in the worst affected areas. Pic: Genevieve Faulkner
A 29-year-old woman was rescued by Victoria Police after being swept away by fast running waters of the Werribee River.
She was swept 20 metres downstream after entering the water to try and save her dog, Minka, police said.
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The Bureau of Meteorology warned further rain is forecast and minor flood warnings are in place after rivers burst their banks.
Image: Pic: Genevieve Faulkner
Queenland’s state-owned Energex said on Wednesday that around 86,000 households remained without electricity following the storms.
It said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, it had sustained severe damage to its network with more than 800 power lines down.
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Queensland hit by flooding earlier in December
It is expected to take days to restore power to some people.
The storms come after former Tropical Cyclone Jasper hit northern regions earlier this month, causing flooding and widespread damage in Queensland
Source : Sky News
