Australia PM to tour flood-hit Victoria state

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would tour flood-hit parts of Victoria state, including the city of Melbourne, as three states continued to grapple with a flood crisis sparked by days of heavy rain.
Warnings were current for flood-impacted parts of Victoria, southern New South Wales and northern regions of Tasmania after a weather system earlier this week dumped more than a month’s worth of rain on the southeast.
The crisis comes after Australia’s eastern states were hit by severe flooding in early 2022 as the country endures a third consecutive La Nina weather event, bringing heavy rains.
In Victoria, where flooding was worst, the focus was on the north, especially the city of Shepparton, where thousands of residents were told it was too late to evacuate as waters rose.
Victorian authorities reported the emergency’s first flood fatality on Saturday after a man’s body was found in floodwaters at Rochester, about 200 kms (124 miles) north of Melbourne.