A man who went missing from a campsite during heavy rains near Gympie in Queensland has been found safe and well.
The 36-year-old disappeared while chasing his dog at an Imbil campsite last night. It sparked a major search involving the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Helicopter, as well as swift water rescue crews.
Late this afternoon, police passed on the good news that the man had been found alive.
Emergency services say Imbil campsite is currently isolated from foot and road access due to several flooded river crossings.
The incident comes as much of Queensland continues to be lashed by heavy rains, and the authorities are continuing to urge caution in hazardous conditions.
Major flood warnings have been issued in south-east Queensland, and several vehicles were caught in floodwater this morning.
A man in his 60s, who was trapped in floodwater at Bundaberg, was found clinging to a tree and was rescued by the LifeFlight helicopter. The man was caught in fast-flowing water while driving in the dark. He escaped his car and held to the tree until farmers spotted him in the morning.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Laura Boekel told the Brisbane Times that Queensland’s already flooded western catchments had experienced renewed rises to moderate flood levels.
“Over the coming days we are expecting rain areas to continue across central and eastern Queensland,” she said. “We could see thunderstorms which could bring more intense pockets of rainfall as well as damaging winds.”
Ms Boekel said the rain was expected to ease from Saturday but she urged people to take great care.
“Due to saturated catchments across large areas of Queensland, any rainfall could lead to flash flooding as catchments are responding very quickly to rain,” she said.
• Comment below.
What happened to his dog? I hope all ok?