A 63-year-old man has been found dead inside a flooded home on the New South Wales mid north coast.
The incident comes as record-breaking rainfall continues to devastate the region, leaving almost 50,000 people isolated.
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NSW Police said emergency services were called to a property on North Moto Road in Moto around 3pm on Wednesday.
The Mid North Coast and Hunter regions have been hit hard by the flood, with areas around Taree having experienced its worst flooding and highest recorded rainfall.
Emergency helicopters have been deployed to rescue residents stranded on properties, while more than 100 emergency alerts remain in place.
NSW Premier Chris Minns expressed his condolences, describing the incident as heartbreaking.
“I’m very sorry for that man’s passing,” Minns said.
“We’re very grateful we got enormous amount of expertise, emergency service personnel and thousands of volunteers who are on site, but when you have major natural disasters, obviously, you get terrible news as a result.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to the tragedy.
“It’s devastating to hear the tragic news…the thoughts of all Australians are with his loved ones and the community at this time.”
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