SYDNEY, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Several schools around Brisbane have been closed amid widespread flash flooding caused by intense rainfall that hit the Australian state of Queensland.
The Queensland government said that eight schools north of Brisbane, including four in the town of Caboolture about 45 km from the capital, were closed on Friday due to severe weather.
It came after slow-moving storms brought intense rainfall to the state's southeast on Thursday, prompting hundreds of calls for aid.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) recorded over 200 millimeters of rain over six hours on Thursday in Caboolture and the northern suburbs of Brisbane, causing flash flooding that the weather bureau had warned could be life-threatening.
The State Emergency Service said it received more than 540 calls for assistance.
Queensland's Deputy Commissioner of Disaster and Emergency Management Chris Stream told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that authorities had performed more than 16 swift-water rescues.
"Unfortunately we still see people driving into floodwaters," he said. "Even if you have a large vehicle, you're at risk of being swept away."
Two hikers were airlifted to safety shortly before 6 p.m. on Thursday after they became stranded on a track southwest of Brisbane.
The BoM said that rainfall was expected to ease on Friday. ■