SYDNEY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Five people were rescued on Friday night and patients have been evacuated from a hospital amid major flooding in the Australian state of Queensland and the neighboring Northern Territory (NT).
Flood warnings were in place for rivers and catchments across most of Queensland as of Saturday morning due to heavy rainfall from a slow-moving tropical storm that made landfall on the state's northeast coast on Friday afternoon local time.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said the tropical low was moving west across central Queensland on Saturday and is forecast to bring heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that five people were rescued from floodwaters in central Queensland overnight, including three people who were found clinging to a tree in fast-moving waters after escaping a stranded vehicle.
In the NT, a major flood warning has been issued for the small town of Katherine, 270 km southeast of Darwin, due to a separate tropical storm.
The BoM said that rapid rises in river levels were occurring along the Katherine River on Saturday morning.
It said the river has surpassed major flood levels in central Katherine and is expected to continue rising through Saturday.
The 21 patients who were at the Katherine Hospital, including 20 pregnant women, were evacuated on Friday to other hospitals in case the town is cut off by floodwaters.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro flew into the town on Friday night and said it was critical that people heed emergency warnings. ■