One person has died and thousands of others are under evacuation orders in Australia’s northeast after intense rain triggered dangerous flash floods that have inundated homes and businesses.

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.

Australian authorities warned that a major flood risk will persist in the northeastern state of Queensland despite torrential rain easing on Monday (February 3).