Heavy rain in Australia triggers flood evacuations

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STORY: Fifty-three residents of the isolated Gulf of Carpentaria town of Burketown, about 1,314 miles northwest of state capital Brisbane, had been evacuated since heavy rain triggered floods earlier this week, police said Saturday.

Around 100 residents remained in the Gulf Country town, with police urging a full evacuation on Saturday, as the nation's weather forecaster predicted river levels in the area to peak on Sunday (March 12).

Police were co-ordinating the evacuation via helicopter to the mining town of Mount Isa, about 264 miles south.

The emergency comes after frequent flooding in Australia's east over the last two years due to a multi-year La Nina weather event, including "once in a century" floods that hit remote areas in the neighbouring Northern Territory, in January.

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