Third body found after boat capsizes off Brisbane
Queensland police are providing an update to the media on the boat that capsized near Green Island in Morton Bay on Boxing Day.
They have confirmed the bodies of three men have been recovered from the water. Two men were earlier confirmed dead. The men were aged 48, 59 and 69.
The police officer said a huge storm came over Moreton Bay, off the coast of Brisbane, on Tuesday and a 49-foot yacht capsized.
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There were 11 men on the boat at the time on an annual fishing trip.
Eight people were rescued and a search operation was commenced immediately.
[The eight people] were transported to Manly Marina where a extensive triage process was set up and transported those people to hospital. I have been advised all those people do not have life-threatening and juries.
Sadly, over the course of the last 18 hours, three people have been recovered deceased from the waters following this incident.
Key events
National thunderstorm death toll reaches eight
With Queensland police confirming a third death in relation to the capsized boat in Moreton Bay, this brings the national death toll from the east coast thunderstorms to eight.
This includes:
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Three men aged 48, 59 and 69, confirmed dead after a boat capsized south of Green Island in Moreton Bay, Queensland.
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A nine-year-old girl, who was found after she was feared lost in stormwater drains in Brisbane.
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A 40-year-old woman, one of three swept into flood waters by the Kidd Bridge in Gympie.
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A woman died after a campground in east Gippsland was hit by flash flooding.
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A 59-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree on the Gold Coast.
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A man was killed after a branch fell on his property in Caringal, Victoria.
One 46-year-old woman in Gympie remains missing – one of three people who were swept into floodwaters by the Kidd Bridge. One of the three women was confirmed dead, and another made it to safety.
‘It took down a concrete power line’
Miles said the storms over the past few days have been “unprecedented”, pointing to the fact that concrete power lines had fallen:
That storm, the day before yesterday in particular, it took down a concrete power line. It is the first time we have ever had a concrete power line destroyed by storm.
That is pretty significant, that is unprecedented …
Cost of Queensland storm damage in the ‘billions’, Miles says, as disaster funding activated for Gold Coast
The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, has also been speaking to the media about the response to the disastrous thunderstorms.
Miles said the disaster and hardship funding arrangements have now been activated for the Gold Coast.
He said there are 450 energy workers out and about currently trying to reconnect power to people’s homes.
About 900 power lines were taken down in the storms and 25,000 homes have now been connected, Miles said.
We have now activated the disaster [and] hardship funding arrangements for the Gold Coast, so people on the Gold Coast affected by the disaster can apply for those hardship payments now.
Miles anticipates the damage caused by the recent thunderstorms will be in the “billions” when combined with the impacts of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
‘It is quite a significant marine tragedy in Queensland’
Queensland police have urged the community to stay safe amid a tragic few days of weather for the east coast.
The officer said “all aspects” of the capsized boat tragedy would be investigated.
I won’t be able to talk about the causation of what of might have occurred, but the weather will play a central role. We will look at all aspects. It is quite a significant marine tragedy in Queensland.
Yesterday was the six consecutive day that Queensland was battered by storms … what we have seen, not just on the water, but on the roads around storm drains, around running water, it is extremely dangerous.
The officer thanked the Queensland coastguard for their “exceptional bravery” in responding to theincident:
There were some more injuries to water police, but they are recovering well and they will be OK.
Condolences go out to the families of those three killed and all the people that were involved on that boat … it would have been very harrowing for them all.
Third body found after boat capsizes off Brisbane
Queensland police are providing an update to the media on the boat that capsized near Green Island in Morton Bay on Boxing Day.
They have confirmed the bodies of three men have been recovered from the water. Two men were earlier confirmed dead. The men were aged 48, 59 and 69.
The police officer said a huge storm came over Moreton Bay, off the coast of Brisbane, on Tuesday and a 49-foot yacht capsized.
There were 11 men on the boat at the time on an annual fishing trip.
Eight people were rescued and a search operation was commenced immediately.
[The eight people] were transported to Manly Marina where a extensive triage process was set up and transported those people to hospital. I have been advised all those people do not have life-threatening and juries.
Sadly, over the course of the last 18 hours, three people have been recovered deceased from the waters following this incident.
Large hail stones hit Bateau Bay on NSW Central Coast
Meteorologist Ben Domensino said a thunderstorm passed through Bateau Bay in New South Wales earlier this afternoon, dropping hail stones larger than 2cm:
A thunderstorm just passed through Bateau Bay dropping >2cm hail. I’m surprised no warning was in place. These hailstones had melted a bit by the time the photo was taken. pic.twitter.com/EIRUH889cR
— Ben Domensino (@Ben_Domensino) December 27, 2023
The Bureau of Meteorology’s radar is showing a fair bit of storm activity in the Sydney region and up to the Central Coast. At this stage, there are no thunderstorm warnings in place.
Have you had a hail storm at your house today? Feel free to share your photos with us on X, @emilywindwrites, or via email: [email protected].
Victorian town of Elmore told ‘do not drink’ tap water
The small Victorian town of Elmore, north east of Bendigo, is still unable to safely drink their tap water.
Coliban Water alerted that it was unsafe for residents to drink the tap water from 1.30pm on Christmas Day. An alert issued today warned that the “do not drink” advisory remains in place “until further notice”.
Please note, the water is safe for showering and bathing but ensure you do not ingest the water.
We expect it will be several days before Elmore’s water network returns to normal, and before the ‘do not drink’ advisory can be lifted, in consultation with the Department of Health.
Coliban Water said the cause of the issue was a fault with the alarm system, which caused the local water treatment plant to stop running.
In addition, at the time of the fault, our region was receiving heavy rain and intense weather.
Water supply has since been restored, noting the do not drink advisory remains in place. We will be adding chlorine to the water supply in the short term, as we resume water production.
Albanese pays tribute to storm victims and thanks emergency crews
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has paid tribute to those who have lost their lives in the disastrous east coast thunderstorms, and thanked emergency personnel for their tireless work.
In a series of posts to X/Twitter, Albanese said Australians are facing floods, fires and storms this summer, but “the worst of times brings out the best in the Australian character”.
He said:
Such sad news overnight of at least four Australians losing their lives in severe weather, including a nine year old girl in Brisbane. My heart goes out to the families of those Australians who have lost their lives – and to the communities taking care of them.
While many Australians are enjoying their well-earned holidays, our essential services and emergency personnel are working gruelling shifts to keep the lights on and to keep us safe.
I want to thank you all. Your jobs are tough, especially on days like today.
As communities across Australia experience fires, floods and storms, we can help by remaining vigilant. We can help by following emergency updates online or on radio, and looking out for neighbours and friends.
This summer, Australians are facing devastating floods, fires and storms.
But as the people of Cairns showed me last week, the worst of times brings out the best in the Australian character.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 27, 2023
Weather calming but will get ‘very hot’ in Queensland and northern NSW
Howell said a calming trend is on its way as we get closer to New Year’s Eve:
It will get very hot across Queensland and northern NSW and Brisbane, going for a scorching 36 degrees tomorrow and into the high 30s for northern NSW and the rest of south-east Queensland.
For the rest of the south-east of the country, remaining quite cool but definitely will be a lot calmer.
From Saturday, we do see a return to showers and storms across the east coast, particularly for NSW and Queensland.
Thunderstorm risk remains across much of east coast
Jonathan Howell from the Bureau of Meteorology just provided a weather update to the ABC.
He said there is a thunderstorm risk across the east coast, all the way from the New South Wales-Queensland border up into the Whitsundays and tropics, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Further south in NSW there is a severe risk of thunderstorms near Lismore, the south of Sydney and down to the Victorian border.
In Victoria, there is a risk of severe thunderstorms across Gippsland, potentially creeping into the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
There is also a risk of heavy rainfall in northern Tasmania.
Eliza Spencer
Campers along Victoria’s Avoca River told to relocate
Campers along the banks of the Avoca River near Charlton in Victoria have been asked to relocate after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a moderate flood warning for the region.
The Avoca River is set to peak as high as seven metres, affecting campers at Gordon Park and the Charlton caravan park.