Mass blackouts in storm-hit eastern Australia

Hundreds of thousands of radical stay without powerfulness successful Australia aft a cyclone brought chaotic upwind to the eastbound coast.

Communities successful southeast Queensland and bluish New South Wales (NSW) were opening the clean-up connected Sunday aft the tempest caused wide flooding and knocked down powerfulness lines and trees.

A 61-year-old man's assemblage was recovered from floodwaters connected Saturday, portion successful a abstracted incident, 12 soldiers were taken to infirmary aft their convoy crashed en way to rescue operations.

The tempest had weakened by the clip it made landfall adjacent Brisbane connected Saturday night, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese connected Sunday warned locals of the continued chaotic upwind and risks from flooding.

"The concern successful Queensland and bluish New South Wales remains precise superior owed to flash flooding and dense winds," Albanese said.

"Heavy rainfall, damaging upwind gusts and coastal surf impacts are expected to proceed implicit coming days."

Cyclone Alfred had hovered for days disconnected the country's eastbound seashore arsenic a class 2 cyclone earlier weakening into a tropical slump connected Saturday.

By Sunday evening, exigency services had conducted implicit a twelve rescues successful Queensland and NSW - astir involving radical trapped by rising waters successful their cars oregon homes. The NSW State Emergency Service reported receiving much than 6,000 calls for help.

Almost 290,000 properties successful the affected regions stay without power, and vigor companies person warned residents the blackouts could persist for days.

Police said connected Saturday they had discovered a assemblage successful the hunt for a 61-year-old antheral who went missing connected Friday aft his car was caught successful floodwaters successful Dorrigo, bluish NSW.

Emergency responders witnessed the antheral escaping his car and climbing onto a histrion adjacent the riverbank, but rescuers were not capable to scope him earlier helium was swept away.

In a abstracted incidental connected Saturday, 12 soldiers were injured successful a convoy clang successful Lismore, astir 200km southbound of Brisbane, arsenic they were connected their mode to rescue and betterment efforts.

The soldiers were inactive successful infirmary connected Sunday, 2 of them successful a superior condition, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told a quality conference.

"We privation a speedy betterment for each of those young soldiers," helium said.

Queensland's constabulary authorities said they had not recorded immoderate fatalities oregon missing radical successful the authorities truthful acold arsenic a effect of the upwind event.