The deluge that has hit much of the state this week has turned deadly, with a man’s body has been found in a ute that was submerged in floodwaters in central Queensland.
A passerby noticed the ute and dead man near the Gregory Hwy in Hibernia, west of Rockhampton about 7am on Friday.
They alerted police and emergency services, who are now trying to get the ute out of the water.
“Recovery of the vehicle may take some time due to the location and current weather conditions,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.
The Forensic Crash Unit is probing the man’s death as it’s unclear how the man died.
It’s understood detectives are uncertain whether the man’s car was swept off the road and he drowned, or if he died as a result of a prior crash or medical episode and the ute was later washed away.
Heavy rains have been lashing the region for two days, with falls up to 270mm in some places and localised flash flooding reported.
Some people living in the nearby Rubyvale area were evacuated on Thursday as well.