© RexA large tree down in Naremburn following severe overnight storms in Sydney
Three people died as the Australian state of New South Wales was lashed by a "once-in-a-decade" storm on Tuesday with homes washed away, thousands hit by power cuts and sand drifts sweeping inland off Sydney's Bondi beach.
Sea swells also hampered shipping as the region around Australia's biggest city suffered its second day of gale-force winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour (83mph) and torrential rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology said 119 millimetres (five inches) of rain had fallen in Sydney in 24 hours - the city's wettest period since 2002.
The destructive winds blanketed parks, pavements and roads with sand from beaches including Bondi, while trees were uprooted, crashing onto cars, and power lines blown down.
Dozens of flights were delayed and at least one cruise ship found itself stuck at sea outside Sydney Harbour.
© Jason Reed/Reuters
A man on Bondi Beach as heavy winds blow the beach's sand inland in Sydney
A man on Bondi Beach as heavy winds blow the beach's sand inland in Sydney
New South Wales state Premier Mike Baird said 4,500 calls had been made to emergency services.
"There is no doubt this is a very severe storm event, indeed it is a once in 10-year event," he said.
"We have lost some homes. There is a number of roofs taken off. We have also lost life. It is a huge storm event that is wreaking havoc across NSW at the moment."
New South Wales police said three people died in the country town of Dungog, 215 kilometres (133 miles) north of Sydney, which was soaked by 300 millimetres (12 inches) of rain in 24 hours.
"During the morning a woman and two men were located deceased within the Dungog township. The circumstances surrounding their deaths are still to be determined," they said in a statement.
Video footage posted online showed a wooden house being swept away by flash floods, although it was not clear if this was linked to the deaths.
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