A second woman is confirmed to have died in flooding which has inflicted "incredible" devastation on communities in northern Australia. Police said the 82-year-old woman's body was found in a cane paddock in Queensland on Tuesday, two days after a 63-year-old woman died when a dinghy she was in overturned during a rescue attempt.

Deadly floodwaters triggered by record rainfall in Australia’s northeast rose for a third day Monday as authorities warned flood-stricken communities to brace themselves for further destruction.

Heavy rainfall has eased, but evacuated residents of northeastern Australia have been told it is not yet safe to return home amid widespread flooding.

One person died on Sunday in Australia's north Queensland state in heavy flooding, authorities said, urging thousands of people to move to higher ground because of torrential rains.

Some areas have seen up to 600mm of rain in just 24 hours, with forecasts predicting more heavy downpours in coming days