Floods ravaging northern Australia have washed crocodiles onto the streets, where one was hit by a car, authorities said in a warning to residents today
Floods ravaging northern Australia have washed crocodiles onto the streets, where one was hit by a car, authorities said in a warning to residents today. More than 60 per cent of the vast northeastern state of Queensland has been declared a disaster area, and flooding after two recent cyclones has affected almost 3,000 homes, they said.
The army has been called in to help with rescue and recovery efforts, while three reports of large crocodiles washed up from flooded rivers have come in from homes in the Gulf of Carpentaria region.
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"I'm not sure if it's the same crocodile moving around -- on the three sides of Normanton there's been a large croc seen right up close to the water's edge," said mayor Joyce Zahner.
"Hopefully, he'll stay in the water and the kids will stay on the land," said Zahner.
A crocodile measuring 1.6 m long was run over by a car on a street in the nearby city of Townsville on Tuesday, wildlife rangers said. It escaped with some injuries.
In the worst flood-affected town of Ingham, 2,900 homes were hit. Dozens of people had been evacuated as more than 14 inches of rain fell in the 24 hours from Tuesday morning.
The damage bill is estimated at Aus $ 110 million and growing, said Neil Roberts, Queensland state's emergency services minister.
The region is bracing for further floods, with a tropical low pressure system threatening to develop into a cyclone.
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