One person has died and thousands of others are under evacuation orders in Australia’s northeast after intense rain triggered dangerous flash floods that have inundated homes and businesses.

A woman has died in Australia and thousands have been forced to flee their homes after torrential rainfall caused flooding in northern Queensland. Authorities say waters will continue to rise and have warned of a "dangerous and life-threatening" situation, with parts of the region recording almost 1.3m (4.2ft) of rain since Saturday.

Devastating floods swamp Townsville and surrounding tourist areas; power outages and record rainfall wreak havoc in Queensland.

Rising floodwaters in northeastern Queensland, Australia, caused power outages in homes and swept away part of a critical bridge on February 3, reported AFP. According to BBC, a woman died on February 2 in the town of Ingham as the floods devastated areas including Townsville and Cardwell.

One person has died, and thousands have been forced to evacuate, due to flash floods in northeast Australia. Flash floods have hit northeast Australia since Friday, with thousands under evacuation orders. Large parts of North Queensland have been affected, with the city of Townsville and the town of Ingham severely impacted.

Flood-hit Townsville, a coastal tourist destination near the Great Barrier Reef, was declared a “black zone”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SYDNEY (dpa): Flood waters are rising in the Australian state of Queensland after heavy rainfall. The area between Townsville and Cairns in the north-east is particularly badly affected - a region that is also very popular with tourists. The coastal towns are considered the gateway to the world's largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef.