Woman’s body found in paddock in second north Queensland floods death | Queensland

A second person has died in the north Queensland floods after an 82-year-old woman’s body was found in a cane paddock.

The woman’s body was found shortly after 11am on Tuesday morning after flood waters receded at Bemerside near Ingham.

The discovery came after a neighbour raised concerns for the woman’s welfare after being unable to locate her at the property, police said in a statement.

“I’m thinking of the family and the community during this incredibly difficult time,” the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement on social media.

“We continue to work with the Queensland Government to assist, with whatever resources are required.”

The death follows that of a 63-year-old woman, who died when an SES boat helping people through flood waters in Ingham struck a tree and flipped on Sunday.

Flooding has caused “incredible” damage to homes and businesses at Ingham, where the Herbert river peaked on Tuesday at heights not recorded since the storied 1967 flood.

Fierce rain that has battered the north for a week had begun to ease, and authorities believe river levels have now peaked.

The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, said the people of Townsville appeared to have “dodged a bullet” as the Ross River, which had threatened 1,700 homes in the community, receded below the major flood level.

Hundreds of people in evacuation shelters in Townsville, where most of the concern had been focused on Sunday and Monday, will soon be allowed to return to their properties and assess any damage.

Crisafulli said the positive news was “a big sigh of relief for Townsville”.

Farther north at Ingham, where Crisafulli grew up, the Herbert River peaked about the same height as in 1967.

“The [Herbert] river has started to drop in with have come to realisation of how significant this event has been,” Crisafulli said.

“Growing up there, I remember my parents talking about the 1967 event and how devastating that was and the fact that we may never see another one again. And this has proven that another one has come.

“The river heights were very, very similar to 1967 and devastation is quite frankly incredible. There are people who have been inundated at home of their businesses and in their farms and we are here to see that through.”

As conditions appear to offer some respite, authorities continue to warn of the threat of heavy rain from Yabulu, just north of Townsville, to Cardwell, another community that has been hard hit and where properties have been inundated.

The widespread deluge has cut power, damaged roads and destroyed a bridge in north Queensland.

Major flooding has also affected the Ross and Haughton rivers near Townsville as well as Charters Towers’ Upper Burdekin.

“We’re likely to continue to see these rivers rise or stay at the major flood level through to Tuesday,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore said.

“With forecast rainfall, that means we could see renewed rises … and that’s why we are concerned.”

Rain and thunderstorms have been forecast across much of north Queensland through to Tuesday night, particularly flood-affected areas between Innisfail and Ayr.

On Sunday, a major Bruce Highway link – the Ollera Creek Bridge near Ingham – collapsed into the water.

Crisafulli told reporters the state of the Bruce Highway would severely hamper recovery and reconstruction efforts for communities that are reliant on the road – for many it is the only way in, or out.

“At the moment Townsville, you can’t go north or south or west and east is always difficult,” Crisafulli said.

“And in the case of Ingham, I had to look at that image from [Ollera] creek two or three times. I could not believe what I was seeing and it shows you that you have got so many hundreds of thousands of people at the mercy of one road.

“That road is not up to standard. You won’t find another road with so many pinch points. Events like this highlight how much the most decentralised state is exposed it. And something has to be done. The images from Ollera Creek is a living breathing example.”

Local mayor Ramon Jayo described it as “another disaster” for Ingham, which was without power after its substation was flooded, only had five days of fresh water left and must rely on supply drops by helicopter.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated and many rescued across the region, with more than a metre of rain recorded near Townsville.

A severe weather warning was current on Monday from Tully down the coast to Ayr as “major and dangerous flooding” continued.

Up to 200mm of rain is possible in the coming days across large parts of the north, with isolated falls of up to 300mm between Ingham and Ayr.

With reporting by Jordyn Beazley