Thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes in Australia's largest city, Sydney, and the surrounding area, after heavy rains swept across the southeastern part of the country.

In a short period of time, 200–350 millimeters of rain have fallen in some places, and the water levels in Sydney, a city of five million, are described as life-threatening. The coming 24 hours will be crucial, according to the authorities.

"We are facing dangers on several fronts - flooding, flooded rivers and coastal erosion," said New South Wales State Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke, reports public service broadcaster ABC.

“Be prepared to evacuate at short notice if you know your area is prone to flooding,” she adds.

In the past 24 hours, the rescue service has received 1,400 emergency calls from people in need of help and at least 29 have been rescued from floods.

As recently as March this year, around 20 people died when parts of Australia's east coast were hit by major flooding, including Sydney and the city of Brisbane.

Source:aftonbladet.se-TT