Two bodies have been discovered in the search for missing backpackers in Queensland floodwaters, marking the first flood-related deaths in the region.
Police said on Thursday they believed the bodies were those of two international tourists who had been traveling to Queensland’s flood-ravaged North Burnett region from Brisbane but had failed to reach their destination.
The disappearance of the 26-year-old man and 23-year-old woman sparked a search in the area from Kilkivan to Mundubbera, west of Gympie, where floodwaters had recently inundated communities.
Police, State Emergency Service volunteers and helicopters scoured the region from Wednesday morning and later located a silver vehicle on Kilkivan Tansey Road.
The Seven network reported that its news team had found the car while inspecting the flood zone.
Police later confirmed that two bodies were found in the vehicle. Divers and forensic teams are investigating the scene.
“However, police believe the two deceased are the missing 26-year-old man and 23-year-old woman,” police said.
These are the first fatalities in the region affected by the floods, where more communities are expected to be flooded in the coming days.
The community of Chinchilla, northwest of Brisbane, is next in line after Bundaberg flooded on Wednesday, inundating hundreds of homes and businesses.
Charleys Creek, flooded by Chinchilla, was not expected to peak at 6.8m until around midday on Thursday, local mayor Andrew Smith said.
Residents were clinging to the hope that Charleys Creek, which runs through the town, would not reach the devastating 2011 flood levels.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that major flooding was approaching in Longreach, where prolonged flooding was possibly expected from Thursday night into Friday morning.
Senior meteorologist Jonathan How said while no further heavy rain was forecast in the region, slow-moving river waters would continue to impact the downstream communities of Bundaberg and Chinchilla in the coming days.
Light rain is forecast in the southeast of the state on Friday, which will create “a nuisance for cleanup, but will not cause flooding,” he said.
As of late Thursday morning, there were eight major flood warnings in place across Queensland, including for residents of Longreach, Windorah, Surat and Warkon.
In the top end of the Northern Territory and in Western Australia’s Kimberley, major flood warnings were still in place on Thursday morning, including for the Daly River.
“Everything is pretty saturated and any further rain could cause flooding again – that’s a warning point for the next few days,” How said.
Heavy rain was forecast in the Kimberley over the weekend and is expected to reach central Australia on Monday and Tuesday next week, he said.
