SYDNEY, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of homes in the Australian state of Queensland were affected by blackouts on Thursday morning after severe storms hit the capital of Brisbane.
A series of storms swept across Brisbane and surrounding areas on Wednesday night, bringing intense rainfall that caused flash flooding and powerful winds that brought down trees and caused widespread damage to electricity infrastructure.
State-owned electricity company Energex said that around 50,000 properties remained without power as of Thursday morning.
More than 120,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the region on Wednesday and the State Emergency Service received more than 300 calls for help.
Two cars were crushed by a large tree that fell in Brisbane's southeast and a man was rescued by emergency services after his car became stuck in floodwaters in the city's eastern suburbs.
The state government said that 21 schools were closed on Thursday due to the impact of the storms.
The Bureau of Meteorology said that further severe thunderstorms could develop on Thursday afternoon and urged residents to keep up with the latest forecasts and emergency warnings. ■