Maryborough floods: Body of missing man found as Paul de Jersey to lead flood clean-up
The body of a man in his 50s who was missing after trying to rescue cattle on Monday night has been found 200m from where he fell from a boat into raging floodwaters at Tiaro. A woman and a young girl who were with him managed to call for help
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The body of a man in his 50s who was missing after trying to rescue cattle swept away in floodwaters at Tiaro has been found.
Police said they were called to a property on Darcys Rd to reports the man had fallen from a boat that had capsized on Monday night.
A 43-year-old woman and an eight-year-old girl, who had also been in the boat managed to cling to foliage and call for help.
Police, including swift water rescue crews, searched for the man for hours.
Tragically, his body was found about 11am, 200m from where he went missing.
Police are investigating and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Meanwhile the search continues for 14-year-old Krystal Cain, who was swept away by floodwaters near Gympie on Friday.
The search for Ms Cain will continue, but Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll today said police would seek advice “around survivability”.
“People can only survive certain days – it may be scaled down,” she said.
It comes as the man who will lead the clean-up operation has been revealed.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk landed in flood-ravaged Maryborough about 9am on Tuesday after the Mary River peaked on Sunday.
She said the Bureau of Meteorology “couldn’t predict” the mass flooding that occurred.
“It was such an unforeseen rain event,” she said.
The emergency declaration for Maryborough has been revoked by police as crews begin the recovery operation.
Services continue to be provided to several flood-impacted areas around Maryborough, together with Fraser Coast Regional Council (FCRC) and other welfare agencies.
Multiple roads remain closed and residents are encouraged to stay away from flood-affected areas, unless absolutely necessary.
The emergency declaration was made under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) on Sunday and was revoked at 8.15am this morning.
Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders praised the response from emergency services and the state government.
Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the city was slowly recovering and hoped outlying towns could be reconnected within hours.
“Thank you to all the volunteers helping family and friends, strangers and neighbours,” he said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the community was rebuilding, with Coles expecting restocked shelves within days and extra food to cover the Woolworths outage.
“You’re already seeing people out there today and it’s all hands on deck to help out,” she said.
The region saw more than 650mm of rain within 24 hours last week, causing widespread damage in Maryborough.
About 380 people are without power in the region and Queensland Rail will resume services from 6pm.
It comes as Former Queensland Governor Paul de Jersey will lead the flood recovery in Maryborough following the city’s devastating weekend floods, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced.
Ms Palaszczuk said Mr de Jersey would be aided by the state’s reconstruction authority.
Mr Saunders also welcomed the appointment of Mr de Jersey, who went to school in the region, to lead the flood recovery.
“You couldn’t have asked for a better person,” he said.
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Originally published as Maryborough floods: Body of missing man found as Paul de Jersey to lead flood clean-up
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