Chinese national out of contact in flood in Australia

SYDNEY -- The Chinese consulate-general in Sydney told Xinhua on Sunday that two Chinese citizens were hit by floods in Hunter Valley region of the state of New South Wales (NSW) on Saturday evening.

It said that a 26-year-old woman among the two Chinese citizens had been out of contact, while the other one, aged 27, was rescued.

The consulate-general had contacted local police multiple times to request updates on the situation and urged them to make every possible effort and deploy maximum resources in the search and rescue of the person who is missing contact.

NSW police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that emergency services were called to Black Creek, Old North Road, Rothbury, about 16 km north of Cessnock, following reports that a car had become stuck in floodwaters. The 27-year-old driver was rescued without any injuries. The 26-year-old passenger was swept away.

Police said that a multi-agency search commenced for the woman on Saturday and continued on Sunday. But the search was suspended due to weather conditions and visibility at about 4:30 pm local time on Sunday, and will resume on Monday morning at about 8 am.