Nine-year-olds among at least seven killed in heavy storms in Australia This is how much money is donated annually in Switzerland

At least seven people have been killed in heavy storms in eastern Australia. Flash flooding swept three women into a storm drain in the Queensland town of Gympie on Tuesday, authorities said. A 40-year-old woman died, one woman survived and the third woman is still missing. The search for the missing person was expected to continue on Wednesday.

Not far from the city of Brisbane, two people drowned in the sea when their boat capsized. Eight people were rescued from the water after the accident; one crew member was still missing. The body of a nine-year-old girl swept away by floodwaters has been recovered in a Brisbane suburb. There were also deaths in Victoria state in southeastern Australia.

Heavy thunderstorms with strong winds have hit eastern Australia in recent days. In Queensland, tens of thousands of households lost power because high-voltage pylons fell. The Australian Weather Service also warned of “dangerous” storms, “life-threatening” flooding, “massive” hailstones and “destructive” winds in Queensland. (sda/afp)