At least 10 people, including a nine-year-old girl, have died in severe thunderstorms that struck eastern Australia on Christmas and Boxing Day. Most fatalities occurred in Queensland, where tens of thousands remain without power. Victoria and New South Wales also experienced widespread flooding and destructive winds.
The storms brought unprecedented damage, with concrete-based electricity poles ripped from the ground. Queensland Premier Steven Miles described the destruction as 'unprecedented,' noting that a concrete power pole had never been destroyed by a storm before. Hailstones the size of golf balls blanketed lawns in parts of New South Wales and South Australia, surprising residents during summer.
Among the victims was nine-year-old Mia Holland-McCormack, whose body was found in a flooded storm drain. Three men drowned after a yacht capsized near Moreton Bay, off Brisbane. A man and a woman died while camping in Victoria's Gippsland region, and two women were swept away by floodwaters north of Brisbane. Two others were killed by falling trees.
The storms follow Cyclone Jasper, which brought major floods to Queensland over a week earlier, with some areas receiving over a year's rain in days. Premier Miles estimated damage costs from both events could reach billions. Australia is currently experiencing an El Niño event, linked to extreme weather like wildfires and cyclones.
Simon Bradshaw, research director at the Climate Council, said the summer's events highlight 'an era of escalating climate consequences.' The latest IPCC report warns that without urgent action to halt climate change, disasters will worsen. Australia has faced severe drought, bushfires, record floods, and six mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef in recent years.
