Wild moment reporter rescues man in flood

Reporter and bystanders rescue man from sinking ute in floodwaters north of Brisbane.

The full report

A reporter and bystanders have jumped into surging floodwaters to save the driver of a sinking ute in incredible scenes caught on camera. The incident occurred north of Brisbane, where large parts of southern Queensland have become inundated with record-breaking rainfall over the last 24 hours. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, some rain gauges have registered more than 300mm of rainfall.

The reporter, Will Murray, and another man swam into churning water after they spotted a man stuck inside a sinking ute. They were able to successfully rescue the driver from the car. The men were aided by a bystander who joined them in the rescue effort.

Heavy rainfall has been battering large parts of southeast Queensland over the past 24 hours, with some rain gauges recording their highest ever rainfall totals for October. The weather station at Beerburrum has recorded 170mm in one day, making it the wettest October in the station's 130 years of recorded totals.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Robert Urbaniak said the rainfall will continue through into Friday. A massive cloud bank is passing down the east coast, bringing significant rainfall. Severe thunderstorms are ongoing around the scenic rim of Queensland, and Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are at risk of these thunderstorms leading to heavy rainfall.