Death toll rises to six in Australian severe floods

The death toll from heavy rains that inundated Australia's east coast has climbed to six, as flood warnings continued on Sunday following a deluge that cut power to thousands of homes and isolated numerous communities.

The eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales faced a huge cleanup task, but weather conditions were expected to ease on Sunday following two days of storms.

"Never before have we seen such a huge volume of rain drop in such a short period of time," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told broadcaster Channel Seven from the state capital Brisbane on Sunday.