SYDNEY, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP/AFP) – The bodies of a “hero”
mother and her two young children were pulled from a river in Australia Tuesday as the death toll rose from cyclone-fuelled floods that devastated parts of the country.
At least five people are now confirmed dead after lashing rain and powerful winds pummelled swathes of Queensland and New South Wales states over the past week, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. Three more remain missing.
In the most recent tragedy, the woman’s car plunged into the swollen Tweed River in northern New South Wales after veering off a muddy road on Monday, entombing the family. An eight-year-old girl escaped and alerted passers-by.
“Police divers have recovered three bodies from a submerged vehicle in Tweed River, near Tumbulgum,” police said, adding that the sunken car had yet to be brought to the surface.
Local media said the dead were a 43-year-old woman, her son, 7, and
daughter, 11 and that they were in the flood-ravaged area to help those
affected.
Tweed Byron Local Area Commander Wayne Starling said he believed the young girl escaped with the help of her “remarkable” mother.
“That woman is a hero, she died trying to save her children,” he told
reporters.