1 of 2 | Energex said more than 120,000 customers were without power on Tuesday after severe storms hit Queensland over Christmas. Photo courtesy of Energex/
FacebookDec. 26 (UPI) — At least two people were dead and more than 120,000 customers in Queensland were without power after severe storms tore through eastern Australia on Monday, officials and authorities said.
An outbreak of thunderstorms hit Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria on Christmas Monday, lashing the three eastern Australian states with destructive winds, hail and heavy rain, according to Bureau of Meteorology Angus Hines, who said in an update Tuesday that the severe weather is forecast to continue for some areas on Boxing Day.
Energex, the state-owned electric company for South East Queensland, said Tuesday on X, formerly know as Twitter, that more than 120,000 customers were without power after the storms took out more than 800 power lines. Repairs will take days, it said.
New South Wales’ State Emergency Service said it responded to more than 490 weather-related incidents on Monday, and Queensland’s Fire and Emergency stated it responded to more than 600. Victoria said Tuesday that it has received more than 1,300 requests for assistance since Christmas Eve.
Victoria Police in a statement that a man has died after a tree branch fell on him amid the storms.
The statement said the incident happened on private property in Gippsland region’s Caringal at about 9 a.m. Tuesday.
A 59-year-old woman was also killed Monday at about 9:30 p.m. when she was struck by a tree in south-east Queensland, police said.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said on X that he toured the damage of his state on Tuesday, and met with two residents, identified only as Betty and David, who had their ceiling cave in on them under the weight of the storm.
“But they’re alive and in good spirits this morning, with the community rallying around them and helping out,” he said in a statement.
“We’ll keep doing what we can to get lights back on and keep people safe, but the storms last night in the South East were brutal. With more wild weather on the way, there’s still time to get ready.”
