04 July 2022•Update: 04 July 2022
ANKARA
Authorities in Australia's New South Wales state on Monday ordered thousands of people to evacuate after flood water entered residential areas.
Paul Toole, deputy premier of the state, described the situation as worsening as water from overflowing rivers and dams inundated several regions, Sky News reported.
"When we have a look at the flooding right now in the Sydney basin, those people in Hawkesbury and the Camden areas, they've actually faced flooding now on multiple occasions," the broadcaster quoted Toole as saying.
The state emergency department has asked residents living along the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers to leave their homes and shift to designated evacuation centers.
Nearly 1,600 people were evacuated since Sunday morning, the emergency department said.
A cargo ship with 21 crew on board has also lost power off the Royal National Park, south of Sydney.
Authorities have launched a helicopter-backed search and rescue operation, ABC News reported.
This is the fourth wave of floods in New South Wales in the last 18 months.
In March, at least 12 people died and hundreds of properties were damaged due to heavy floods.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
