Desperate rescue as two men are found clinging to submerged car near Miepoll in northern Victoria

Desperate rescue when two men are found clinging to the side of their car submerged in raging floodwaters

  • Men caught in floodwaters near Miepoll, northern Victoria
  • Rescued Friday night after they got stuck

Two men have been dramatically rescued from fast-flowing floodwaters in northern Victoria after being spotted clinging to the back of their vehicle.

The duo, from New South Wales, were driving along O’Farrell Rd near Miepoll at about 10.20pm on Friday evening when their car got stuck.

The men, aged 73 and 46, were spotted by police climbing onto the side of their car as floodwaters quickly engulfed the vehicle.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said they were taken to safety in a boat by SES volunteers and told rescuers they had driven into what they thought was a ‘big puddle’.

“Their car soon got stuck and the water level started rising rapidly as they called emergency services for help,” she said.

Both were taken to hospital for observation.

Two men, aged 73 and 46, were found Friday night clinging to their vehicle in fast-flowing floodwaters near Miepoll, northeastern Victoria. Photo: Victoria Police.

Salvation came when residents in northeastern Victoria were told to brace themselves for flash flooding as heavy rains battered the region.

Minor flooding at Seven Creeks, where the men were rescued, was reported by the Bureau of Meteorology and is slowly easing as of Saturday morning.

An SES spokesman said driving through floods ‘could be the last decision you ever make’.

“Most people underestimate the dangers of driving through floodwaters because you may not be able to see other dangers in large bodies of water, such as potholes, debris and broken roads,” he said.

“In regional areas where there are no roadblocks, the speed of the water flow can easily drag cars into adjacent properties and other stationed cars.”