A search is under way for a 26-year-old Chinese engineer who was swept into a flooded creek in Rothbury, near Cessnock, in the Hunter region on Saturday evening. The woman was a passenger in a Mini driven by a 27-year-old woman that became stuck in a swollen creek on Old North Road just before 8pm.
Both women tried to flee the vehicle but were swept away. The driver managed to reach the bank with her dog, but the passenger has not been located. Police confirmed both women are Chinese nationals on working visas; the missing woman has been working in Australia as an engineer for over three years.
Emergency services also rescued a 40-year-old man found stuck in a tree nearby, who had been swept back into the creek during an initial rescue attempt before being pulled from the water along Black Creek. The search for the missing woman resumed on Sunday with police, emergency services and firefighters.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to more than 1,455 calls related to rainfall, thunderstorms and snow across New South Wales. Warnings remain in place for the Coffs coast, mid-north coast, Upper Hunter and New England regions, with forecasters warning of continued rain and potentially damaging winds.
Power was cut to at least 27,500 homes, and unprecedented snowfall was recorded around Armidale and Guyra, creating dangerous road conditions. The SES responded to over 100 vehicles stuck in snow, deploying more than 1,100 volunteers, helicopters and high-clearance vehicles.
