CAIRNS, Australia, Dec 18, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Stranded residents sheltered on a hospital roof as flash floods swamped northeastern Australia on Monday, with raging waters severing roads and flushing crocodiles into towns. With more rain expected Monday, Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said the unfolding disaster would have a "billion-dollar impact" on the state. Nine people, including a seven-year-old patient, huddled for safety on the roof of a hospital in the largely Aboriginal settlement of Wujal Wujal. "We know that those people are in a desperate way now," said Kiley Hanslow, the chief executive of the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council. "This level of rainfall is next level," Queensland Premier Steven Miles told reporters on Monday.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha December 18, 2023 03:24 UTC