Sydney, Australia, Dec 18 (EFE).- Flash floods lashing northeastern Australia on Monday have washed crocodiles into cities, prompting authorities to urge people to stay away from floodwaters.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services reported that one of its rescue personnel spotted a crocodile lurking at a park in Ingham, a city with a population of over 5,000 people.
“It just goes to show there is no way to predict what’s hiding under the surface, so please don’t risk your life or the lives of our crews by entering floodwaters,” it said in a brief statement.
A video shared by the state broadcaster ABC depicts a crocodile emerging from the water as several vehicles drive on a nearby road.
“URGENT! There is a crocodile at the bridge crossing. Parents, please keep your children away from the area,” warned the remote Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal in a short statement, expressing concerns that there were children swimming in the nearby waters.
Regan Kulka, deputy mayor of Wujal Wujal, told local media that he had to swim with his dog through crocodile-infested waters when floodwaters entered his house at midnight.
Over the last five days, torrential rains, caused by Cyclone Jasper, have lashed the region between the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal and Port Douglas, located north of the city of Cairns, which is one of the main access points to the Great Barrier Reef.
Jasper, which made landfall on Wednesday as a category 2 cyclone near Wujal Wujal, lost strength as soon as it made landfall and converted into a tropical storm.
Images published by several Australian media showed rivers of muddy water and uprooted trees in the streets, people trapped on their roofs, submerged cars and planes, flood-damaged bridges, and residents being rescued in boats.
The floods have left an unspecified number of people isolated in the Aboriginal community after the planned aerial rescue operation had to be aborted due to heavy rains.
However, in other regions, like the tourist city of Cairns, where rain led to the cancellation of numerous flights, waters were expected to recede later in the day.
Although powerful cyclones are not common in Australia, they occasionally hit the northern part of the country, such as the category 5 Cyclone Yasi, which devastated Queensland in February 2011, leaving one person dead and causing significant material damage. EFE
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