logo
Cars completely swallowed by floodwater in Taree

Cars completely swallowed by floodwater in Taree

Residents on the top floor of their homes have recorded record flood levels, which have submerged roads with cars nearly completely underwater.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'Anyone else feel that?': Queensland magnitude-5.6 earthquake felt near Brisbane
'Anyone else feel that?': Queensland magnitude-5.6 earthquake felt near Brisbane

SBS Australia

time6 hours ago

  • SBS Australia

'Anyone else feel that?': Queensland magnitude-5.6 earthquake felt near Brisbane

Residents in southern Queensland have been rocked by a magnitude-5.6 earthquake on Saturday morning, with tremors felt all the way down to Brisbane. The Australian Government's national geoscience organisation, Geosciences Australia, reported the earthquake striking at around 9:49am on Saturday morning. It reported the epicentre to be near Kilkivan — about 220 kilometres north-west of Brisbane — while the depth of the quake reached about 10 kilometres. Residents as far south as the Gold Coast and as far north as Hervey Bay reported feeling the tremor. Some were quick to joke on social media, while others reported feeling their houses shake. "Woahhh earthquake on the Gold Coast... anyone else feel that? I assume that means median home price went through $2m?" one user wrote on X. Another joked: "We will rebuild". Geoscience Australia said there had been more than 10,000 "felt reports". There is no tsunami risk. This is a developing story and this article will be updated.

Thousands evacuated, as fires continue to rage across southern Europe
Thousands evacuated, as fires continue to rage across southern Europe

SBS Australia

timea day ago

  • SBS Australia

Thousands evacuated, as fires continue to rage across southern Europe

Giorgios Mavros picks his way through rubble and charred debris in what remains of his home in Volissos, on the northern Aegean island of Chios, in Greece. The 60-year old's house was burned in fires which started on Tuesday, then quickly spread across more than 30 kilometres, burning forests, farmland, vehicles and homes, and forcing evacuations across multiple villages. Standing in the rubble of the home built by his father in 1982, Mr Mavros says he can't imagine starting over at his age. (Greek then English vo) "What am I supposed to do? Build a home from scratch? I am 60 years old, with two kids in university. My daughter is studying in Volos, she left to come to Volissos for two months to work as a receptionist in rental rooms, and now all her stuff burned in here, her degrees, her personal items, her laptop, everything.' Firefighters have battled multiple wildfires across Greece in recent days, including blazes threatening villages and towns near the western city of Patras, Greece's third-largest city. It's prompted thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. The extreme European summer heat, which scientists say is becoming longer and more intense due to human-driven climate change , has fuelled similarly intense wildfires across Southern Europe, including in Spain, Portugal and the Balkans. 3600 firefighters continue to battle massive blazes in Portugal, and the country is under a state of alert until Sunday [[17 aug]], with no immediate sign of the heatwave lifting. Agustinha Nobre is a resident in the village of Benvende in Trancoso in the country's north. (Portuguese then English vo) 'It was a very difficult few hours. I thought I was going to lose my house. I was never in a situation like this. This was horrendous, the flames, luckily the land was watered down. I put water in the back and the firefighters managed to help otherwise my house and my sister's house would not survive.' Authorities in Spain have reported a 37-year-old volunteer firefighter is the third person to have died from fire related injuries, after suffering severe burns while battling flames in the northwestern Castile and Leon region. Thousands of people remain evacuated from their homes as nearly two dozen fires continued to rage across the country, particularly in Castile and Leon, and the Galicia region in far north-western Spain, where active fires span more than 200 square kilometres. 44-year old Beatriz Madrid is among residents forced to evacuate the rural village of Abejera de Tabara. She says the village had little support from firefighters, who were sent to other prioritised areas. (Spanish then English vo) 'We saw a smoke column we thought was quickly going to disappear, but since there was another fire in the area of Cubo de Benavente and Molezuelas there were no resources. Galicia and half of Spain is also on fire. In Spain's rural areas there are no resources, so we are abandoned.' In Albania, the Defence Ministry says wildfires are still active in 23 locations across the country, despite winds easing. Emergency personnel continue to tackle several blazes in the southernmost Delvine and central Gramsh districts, and dozens of residents have been evacuated from villages near the city of Polican. As southern Europe continues to grapple with some of their worst summer fires in decades, the European Union has sent support to Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania. European Union spokesperson Eva Hrncirova says the E-U has responded to multiple requests for assistance, and is sending firefighters to join national teams around Europe. "Spain asked for assistance and activated the civil protection mechanism for the first time ever. For the forest fires. And we quickly mobilised two rescue planes that were stationed in France and they are expected to be deployed today. Greece activated the mechanism 2 days ago in response to Swedish rescue helicopters currently in Bulgaria are expected to be deployed." As fires continue to rage, dozens of arrests have been made across the continent . Spanish police have arrested a man in Zamora province for starting a fire on a plot of land used to dump rubbish illegally. Another man was arrested for provoking six fires earlier in August in the southern province of Malaga according to local police, and another 38 people are under investigation for deliberately starting forest fires. In Albania, police have arrested 46 suspected arsonists, and have launched cases against 91 others for lighting fires.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store