SYDNEY, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns on Friday toured the regions north of Sydney that have been inundated by widespread flooding following five consecutive days of torrential rainfall.
Four bodies have been retrieved from floodwaters and a fifth person has been missing since Wednesday. As of Friday afternoon, more than 50,000 people remained cut off by flooding and emergency services were continuing to conduct rescue operations by boat and helicopter.
As of Friday afternoon, emergency services had conducted 736 flood rescue operations in total.
The severe weather system that brought the torrential rainfall moved south on Friday and, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), could move out of NSW by midnight.
Despite the easing conditions, authorities have warned that river levels could continue to rise. ■
