8 dead as Australia's east coast hit by floodwaters

Sydney, Feb 28 The death toll from the rising floodwaters in Australia climbed to eight as a severe weather system continues to batter the country's east coast, causing evacuations and school closures.

Police of the state of Queensland said on Monday that two men were swept away in floodwaters in the state. One was found dead in the capital Brisbane's north, and the other was found in a rural locality in Gold Coast, Xinhua news agency reported.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there are currently more than 1,540 people in evacuation centers across the southeast as floodwaters continue to rise.

She also added there could be around 18,000 homes affected by floodwaters, and almost 1,000 schools were temporarily closed.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) of Queensland warned that the highest rainfall in the state reached 530 mm, and the intense rainfall is likely to continue for the next few days.

The dire weather emergency is moving even further south as heavy rains and floods are also threatening the state of New South Wales (NSW).

Residents from the northern NSW town of Lismore were told to evacuate as the levee had been overtopped early Monday morning.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg described the situation as "very dangerous and life-threatening" with people being trapped in their homes and on roofs.

"Unfortunately, this weather event has been far worse than predicted... They (volunteer organisations) are trying to provide assistance to people as soon as they can," Krieg said in a statement.

BoM noted the river at Lismore has exceeded its 1974 peak of 12.15m and could reach 14.40m later on Monday. This would also surpass the record flood level of 12.27m seen in 1954.