Massive Floods Strand Over 50,000 in Eastern Australia

Police have pulled three bodies from rising floodwaters on the Mid North Coast, a river-braided region of rugged hills and fertile valleys about 400 kilometers north of Sydney.

Authorities launched a major search-and-rescue mission as people clambered atop cars, houses and highway bridges to escape fast-moving flash floods.

The storms have dumped more than half a year's worth of rain over just three days, the government weather bureau said, smashing flood-height records in some areas.

"We are seeing levels in local tributaries, creeks and rivers that we haven't seen since 1920," New South Wales (NSW) state premier Chris Minns told reporters.

"Many people will have never seen this level of inundation or flooding in their communities."

The town of Kempsey, a farming hub on the banks of the Macleay River, had been cut off with little warning, Mayor Kinne Ring told AFP.

"You often think of rain on a tin roof as relaxing, but at the moment it is deafening and horrible," Ring said.

"The downpours are torrential and every time it rains, you wonder what is going to happen next."

Ring said more than 20,000 people were isolated in her local government area alone.

Authorities said more than 50,000 people were cut off, with some rivers still to reach peak levels late yesterday.

The government has declared the emergency a natural disaster, unlocking greater resources for affected areas.

Source: HDN