NSW floods: 5-year-old boy dies after being trapped in car in flood waters in Tullamore
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Horror as boy, 5, who was swept away by flooding in NSW, is found dead after getting stuck in family car
- A five-year-old boy has died after being trapped in a car in floodwaters
- The boy died Friday night in Tullamore, central west NSW
- Four people, including a boy and a girl, have been rescued from the floods
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A five-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped in a car swept away by flooding in central western NSW.
Two vehicles, including a Toyota Hilux, got stuck in flooding Friday night on McGrane Way in Tullamore, northwest of Parkes.
Emergency services used a boat to rescue four people from the Hilux who were clinging to trees, including a 37-year-old man, a 28-year-old woman and a young boy and girl.
However, the five-year-old became trapped in the car before entering the water and swept away.
A five-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped in a car swept away by flooding in central western NSW
NSW police officers began searching for the Hilux on Saturday and around 3:20 p.m. the boy’s body was found in the still-sunken car by police divers.
His family was taken to Dubbo Base Hospital for observation. The occupants of the second vehicle were not injured.
The Hilux has since been recovered and the police are investigating before preparing a report for the coroner.
A low-pressure system that brought torrential rains in the latter part of the week and flooded dozens of river systems in the interior of NSW and the north of the state is heading offshore, although forecasters say the situation is still “evolving.”
Early Saturday, flood warnings remained active for 28 river systems from the western interior to the northern rivers and the Mid North Coast.
In the city of Gunnedah, which is home to 9,000 people, major flooding continued after the Namoi River peaked at 8.24 meters on Saturday morning. The water is expected to remain high until Sunday.
At Wee Waa, just 75 miles (75 miles) northwest, the water is still slowly descending, but it could stay above the major flood level until next week.
The cotton town is protected by a five-mile embankment, but Narrabri Shire mayor Ron Campbell told AAP the rainfall had destroyed local roads.
Emergency services used a boat to rescue four people from the Hilux who were clinging to trees, including a 37-year-old man, a 28-year-old woman and a young boy and girl. However, the five-year-old became trapped in the car before entering the water and was swept away
“If we get a lot of rain all summer, we could definitely have a record flood — probably something not seen since the 1970s,” Campbell said.
The wet weather has caused unrest in the Tumbulgum community on the River Tweed after it burst its banks on Friday and flooded paddocks.
Many local residents remained hyper-vigilant after major floods that hit the region earlier this year, Harriet Messenger, co-owner of Husk Distillers, told AAP.
“Everyone in the region is always very sharp, especially so close to another big event,” she said.
Farmers in northern Queensland also faced a few anxious days after heavy falls in the north of the state, but a severe thunderstorm warning was canceled on Friday.
Currumbin Valley organic farmer David Freeman suffered loss of his leafy greens and told AAP he feared the wild would have killed half of his avocado trees again.
“They are very sick as a result of the last 12 months of heavy rainfall due to the saturated soil… and this deluge will only re-saturate the soil and cause more soil fungal problems,” Mr Freeman said.
‘(The rain) weighs heavily on the farmers, because we only got into trouble at the beginning of this year.’