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WORLD NEWS Friday 4 March 2022
500,000 people on flood alert as rain lashes Sydney

Associated Press Friday in a submerged SUV
SYDNEY (AP) — Around in Matcham, 90 kilometers
500,000 people in Sydney (50 miles) north of Sydney.
and its surrounding areas Most recently, a man in his
had by Thursday been told 70s was found in his flood-
to evacuate or prepare to ed apartment Wednes-
flee floodwaters as torren- day in Lismore, New South
tial rain lashed an extraor- Wales. Four people died in
dinarily long stretch of the the town of 28,000.
Australian east coast. Several Brisbane suburbs
Rivers were rising in Aus- remain flooded after the
tralia's most populous city, river that snakes through
home to 5 million, with New the city center peaked on
South Wales' State Emer- Monday.
gency Services Minister Queensland Fire and Emer-
Steph Cooke warning of gency Services Assistant
"treacherous weather con- Commissioner John Caw-
ditions" over the next 24 cutt said hundreds of peo-
hours. ple were calling for help
Australia's Bureau of Me- in Brisbane — home to 2.6
teorology warned of life- million people — and its
threatening flash flooding surrounds with heavy rain
and damaging winds with causing flash flooding.
peak gusts in excess of 90 "We've got high winds and
kilometers (56 miles) an of course we've got the
hour. Residents look over a flooded road near Windsor on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, Thursday, potential for flash flooding
Major flooding was ex- March 3, 2022. because of the already
pected along several riv- Associated Press sodden ground out there,"
ers in and around Sydney. Cawcutt told Nine Network
Dozens of suburbs were on will get worse before they Hailstones 5 to 6 centime- south-moving low-pressure television.
high alert. get better," Perrottet said. ters (2 inches) wide pound- system had since brought "Because of the saturation,
The State Emergency Ser- Minor flood warnings were ed the town of Inglewood, the rain south of Sydney. creeks are rising very, very
vice issued evacuation or- also issued for coastal com- 270 kilometers (170 miles) The flooding has claimed quickly — drains, stormwa-
ders to 200,000 residents munities as far as 200 kilo- southwest of Brisbane, ear- 14 lives in Queensland and ter areas, water is bubbling
and evacuation warnings meters (120 miles) south of ly Thursday, the Bureau of neighboring New South up from below ground so
had been sent to another Sydney. Meteorology said. Wales since Feb. 22, when it's right across Brisbane,"
300,000. Floodwaters were also ris- Extraordinarily heavy rain the body of a 63-year-old Cawcutt added.
New South Wales Premier ing in Brisbane, Australia's brought flash floods to the woman was recovered He described the danger-
Dominic Perrottet urged third-most populous city Queensland state coast from a submerged car at ous weather extending
residents to take the orders 730 kilometers (450 miles) 500 kilometers (310 miles) Belli Park, north of Brisbane. north of Brisbane and south
seriously. north of Sydney, as severe north of the capital Bris- In New South Wales, a of Sydney as an "enormous
"We do believe that things thunder storms struck. bane last week and a 54-year-old man was found event."q
Philippines: 7 militants killed, bombs seized in recent raid

MARAWI, Philippines (AP) said. Zacariah has been attack but they assessed
— Philippine troops killed implicated in past attacks it would be difficult to
at least seven Muslim in- and bombings and is sus- storm the encampment,
surgents aligned with the pected of being the newly which was protected by
Islamic State group in a re- designated leader of the Is- heavy weapons," Cuer-
cent offensive in the south lamic State group in South- po told reporters. He said
and recovered 45 heavy east Asia, said army infantry that prompted him to first
firearms and several bombs brigade commander Brig. launch airstrikes against the
and land mines that were Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, insurgents.
to be used in future at- who oversaw Tuesday's of- Air force fighter jets
tacks, military officials said fensive. dropped a dozen bombs,
Thursday. Two factions of the militant then army troops launched
About 60 Muslim militants group Daulah Islamiyah, a ground attack and over-
were in the remote camp linked to the Islamic State ran the camp. The insur-
near Maguing in Lanao del group, appear to have gents fled in different direc-
Sur province when it was merged and camped near tions and were pursued by Lieutenant-General Alfredo Rosario, Jr., left, commander of the
attacked Tuesday by fight- Maguing in January. At the troops, military officials said. Western Mindanao Command, inspects a 50 cal. Browning ma-
chine gun, part of the 45 firearms seized by army troops from
er jets and army forces, mili- time, some power transmis- The military denied reports Muslim insurgents aligned with the Islamic State group in Marawi
tary officials said. It was not sion towers in the region that the troops encoun- City, southern Philippines on Thursday Mar. 3, 2022.
immediately clear whether were bombed in attacks tered guerrillas belonging Associated Press
their leader, Abu Zacariah, claimed by the Islamic to the Moro Islamic Lib-
was among those killed or State group, prompting the eration Front, the largest a Muslim autonomous re- cord," military spokesman
managed to escape. One military to intensify its sur- Muslim rebel group which gion in the south. Col. Ramon Zagala said.
soldier was killed and five veillance and prepare for signed a peace pact with "We'd like to assure our "We are on track and we're
others were wounded in an offensive, Cuerpo said. the government in 2014 partners in the MILF that only targeting the peace
the fighting, the officials "The troops were ready to and is now helping govern we respect the peace ac- spoilers."q