Shoppers at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney had a narrow escape on Tuesday when a ceiling collapsed amid heavy rain and gale force winds. Chunks of the roof fell onto escalators as the storm forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Footage shared on social media showed large sections of the ceiling on the ground. One man tweeted: 'This collapsing ceiling at Westfield Bondi Junction, missed me by two metres!' Another woman said: 'Well, I just nearly got killed by a collapsing roof in Westfield Bondi Junction. Just missed it.'
The storm, which began on Monday, exceeded March's mean rainfall of around 140mm, triggering evacuation orders in the city's southwest. Roads were flooded, cars submerged in northern beaches, and train services cancelled. Authorities advised millions to avoid unnecessary travel.
Two people—a 67-year-old mother and her 34-year-old son—were found dead near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal in Sydney. The death toll from storms in Queensland and New South Wales since last month has reached 20.
Professor Hilary Bambrick, an environmental expert, said the country was 'underprepared' for extreme weather despite decades of warnings about the climate crisis, urging more action to cope with such events.
