Sydney Storms Kill Woman, Trigger Flash Floods and Flight Delays

Emergency services were called to reports that a tree branch had fallen onto a vehicle around 90 km south of central Sydney shortly before 4 p.m. local time on Saturday.

The female driver of the vehicle died at the scene, while a male passenger in the front seat suffered minor injuries. Two rear-seat passengers were not injured, reports Xinhua news agency.

The east coast state of New South Wales was hit by severe thunderstorms on Saturday, causing flash flooding in northern Sydney and flight delays at Sydney Airport.

The State Emergency Service said it had received hundreds of calls for assistance across the state and that authorities had rescued four people from floodwaters.

The emergency service's Superintendent Matt Kirby told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the severe weather would not ease until Sunday, with heavy rain expected to persist around Sydney and neighbouring regions to the north and south.

"We remind people not to drive through floodwaters and also be wary of where you park your vehicles, as trees can fall at any time," he said.

Beaches around Sydney were closed due to the threat posed by powerful swells, and police have urged people to avoid walking near areas exposed to large waves.

Meanwhile, an emergency flash flooding warning was issued on Thursday for coastal towns in the Australian state of Victoria.

Residents and visitors in towns along the iconic Great Ocean Road, about 120 km southwest of Melbourne, were on Thursday afternoon told to take shelter immediately after the region was hit by a storm cell that brought intense rainfall.

Thousands of homes in the region have been left without power, and video footage posted on social media showed vehicles being washed out to sea by floodwaters.

Erin Mason from the State Emergency Service told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio that there had been no reports of injuries, but that authorities were working to evacuate people who had become stranded in flooded holiday parks.

"We've got crews on scene now attempting to assist those people to higher ground and safer locations," she said.

The ABC reported that a rain gauge near the town of Lorne, a popular tourism destination, recorded 170 millimetres (mm) of rainfall in the seven hours since 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, surpassing the previous daily record of 123 mm set in December 2021.

Earlier on Thursday, Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said that the number of properties confirmed to have been destroyed by the state's ongoing bushfire crisis has risen to 900, including around 260 homes.

Wiebusch said that 11 fires were continuing to burn as of Thursday and that around 410,000 hectares of land had been burnt across the state.

- IANS