Deadly floodwaters triggered by record rainfall in Australia’s northeast rose for a third day Monday as authorities warned flood-stricken communities to brace themselves for further destruction.

A second woman is confirmed to have died in flooding which has inflicted "incredible" devastation on communities in northern Australia. Police said the 82-year-old woman's body was found in a cane paddock in Queensland on Tuesday, two days after a 63-year-old woman died when a dinghy she was in overturned during a rescue attempt.

Some areas have seen up to 600mm of rain in just 24 hours, with forecasts predicting more heavy downpours in coming days

Flood waters are rising in the Australian state of Queensland after heavy rainfall. The area between Townsville and Cairns in the north-east is particularly badly affected - a region that is also very popular with tourists.

A woman has died in Australia and thousands have been forced to flee their homes after torrential rainfall caused flooding in northern Queensland. Authorities say waters will continue to rise and have warned of a "dangerous and life-threatening" situation, with parts of the region recording almost 1.3m (4.2ft) of rain since Saturday.

Fast-moving floodwaters rose Monday in northeastern Australia after forcing many to flee, blacking out homes, and sweeping away a chunk of a critical bridge.

Record-breaking floods across north Queensland have now turned deadly, with one woman drowning while being rescued on Sunday morning. And the floodwaters are still rising, with rain set to continue.

Authorities are warning deadly flooding in northern Queensland is expected to worsen. More than a metre of rain has fallen between Townsville and Innisfail in the past five days due to a slow-moving monsoon trough.