© Tasmania Police
Latrobe in Tasmania's north was inundated as the river burst its banks.
Latrobe in Tasmania's north was inundated as the river burst its banks.
Police fear for safety of two people missing in rising waters, while hundreds of people are evacuated in Devonport, Launceston, Wynyard and Deloraine
Northern Tasmania is grappling with the most devastating flooding it has experienced in decades after a severe weather system that devastated Queensland and New South Wales hit the state on Monday.
As night fell, police held grave concerns for two elderly people reported missing in the Tasmanian floodwaters, which continue to rise.
By Monday night more than 100 people in Latrobe in Tasmania had been evacuated by helicopter and boat, including a family of three rescued from the roof of their car. Residents in St Leonards, in Launceston, had also been evacuated.
Evacuation centres have been established in Devonport, Launceston, Wynyard and Deloraine, with 3,500 homes without power and significant livestock losses at dairy farms along the Mersey river.
One 81-year-old farmer near the river was swept away by flood waters as he went to check on his livestock, and was reported missing by his wife on Monday afternoon. Police are still searching for him, along with one other elderly person also missing.
Comment: Yet more flooding continues around the world. See also:
Floods around the world: USA, Mexico, Russia, China, France, Germany, Belgium, Ukraine, Romania