Former Politician Dies in Floodwaters as Severe Storms Batter Queensland

A former local councillor died in floodwaters on Queensland's Fraser Coast on Monday morning as a series of heavy storms brought widespread flooding and swift-water rescues across the state.

Emergency services responded to Smothering Creek on Boompa Road in Boompa just after 11am following reports that a man was unresponsive in the water.

Police officers declared the man dead at the scene and announced they will prepare a report for the coroner.

Family and local officials identified the victim as 57-year-old James Hansen, a fourth-generation resident, dairy farmer and former regional councillor who served the community for years.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour paid tribute to Hansen following confirmation of his death.

“As one of the region’s last dairy farmers, James had strong connections to our rural communities and was a passionate advocate for primary producers,” said George Seymour, the Fraser Coast Mayor.

“He always stood up for his beliefs,” Seymour said.

Severe weather over the past several days dumped torrential rainfall across large parts of southern and eastern Queensland, triggering flash flooding and closing numerous roads.

Further south in Leyburn, emergency crews rescued 6 people who became stranded at a public campground when rising floodwaters surrounded their caravans.

Queensland Fire and Rescue swiftwater teams deployed to the site on the Southern Downs and retrieved the three men and three women without reported physical injuries.

Forecasters from the Bureau of Meteorology attributed the prolonged deluge to a blocking high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea combined with upper-atmospheric steering winds.

“The widespread rain bands with heaps of cloud cover, much cooler temperatures, and then the storms in that situation are really driven by what’s going on in the higher parts of the atmosphere,” said Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist.

Authorities maintain active flood warnings for several waterways across the state, including the Mary River and the Lockyer Valley region.

Meteorologists predict that conditions will gradually ease toward the end of the week as standard spring weather patterns return.