• 'Instant tsunami' hits Australia

    By Elena Grothe

    You can see a slideshow of flooding in Australia HERE and read the full story HERE.

    Tomas Guerin / Reuters

    A passenger in a car waves for assistance as a flash flood sweeps across an intersection in Toowoomba, 65 miles west of Brisbane, Jan. 10. Tsunami-like flash floods raced towards Australia's third-largest city of Brisbane on Tuesday, prompting evacuations of its outskirts, flood warnings for the financial district and predictions that the death toll is likely to climb.

    Heavy rain and flash floods have brought more misery to Queensland, Australia which has been battling the worst flooding there in decades. At least four people have died after a wave of mud and water swept through one city. ITV's Martha Fairlie reports.

      

    Comment

    Show more
    Explore related topics: , , , ,

  • Alicia Morrison / Reuters

    Local residents inspect a road that collapsed when a flash flood swept through Toowoomba, 105km (65 miles) west of Brisbane, Jan. 10. Residents of low-lying parts of Australia's third largest city, Brisbane, sandbagged their homes against rising waters on Monday as torrential rain exacerbated record floods that have paralysed the coal industry in the northeast and now threaten tourism.

    Flash floods swamp Toowoomba, road collapses

    By Elena Grothe

    msnbc.com staff and news service reports:

    SYDNEY — Flash floods swept through an Australian city Monday, killing at least two people, trapping others in cars and leaving some clinging to trees as relentless rains brought more misery to a region battling its worst flooding in decades.

    The raging torrent of muddy water picked up cars and tossed them like toys, carried away furniture as it washed through stores and prompted scores of emergency calls as it swamped Toowoomba, a city of about 90,000 in Queensland state in the northeast.