Qld: Stranded university group to be rescued today

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2000
Qld: Stranded university group to be rescued today

BRISBANE, April 28 AAP - The remaining members of a group of Sydney university visitors
stranded by floods in far western Queensland would be rescued by helicopter today, police
said.

Three of the group of 12 students, volunteers and research assistants, on a field trip,
were flown to safety late yesterday.

"Those three were on their own, separated from the main group," Boulia police sergeant
Peter Riley said.

He said food had been dropped to the remaining nine, who would be rescued today.

The helicopter was to have ferried all the group in relays to Boulia yesterday, but
was delayed by the need to make food drops to isolated properties.

In the north of the state the tourist town of Daintree remained isolated by floods
as heavy rain continued to fall.

The wet weather, brought on by a series of low pressure weather systems, has stranded
residents and motorists throughout the waterlogged north which has been hit by three cyclones
this year, causing hundreds of millions of dollars' damage to property and crops.

However the Weather Bureau said it was now unlikely that any of the lows would develop
into a new cyclone.

Near Mackay, a group of four-wheel drive enthusiasts remained stranded.

The group had gone on an Easter camping trip, but were cut off by a flooded creek when
they tried to return on Tuesday.

Police said they had contacted the group by radio and they were safe and well, but
rationing their food supplies.

AAP jfs/jtb/br

KEYWORD: FLOODS QLD DAYLEAD

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