At least seven people have died after flash floods and heavy rains have caused havoc across Australia’s east coast.

A severe storm system has battered the eastern part of the country for several days, unleashing decades-high floods, inundating homes and roads, and sweeping away cars.

Six people have died in Queensland, including a 34-year-old man who tried to swim to safety when his car became submerged in floodwaters.

A man also died in floodwaters in northern New South Wales when his car was carried away.

Officials in Queensland said tens of thousands of properties were without power on Sunday and there were fears that the city’s rising river could cause further flooding in the area.

All Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast beaches, popular tourists attractions, have been closed.

The state’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, compared the weather to “a cyclone event”.

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“Can I say to everyone from the outset today, if you don’t have to be on the roads, please do not be on the roads,” Ms Palaszczuk said at a briefing on Sunday.

“We have a lot of water rising right across Brisbane [the capital of Queensland] and the southeast at the moment.”

As the heavy rains move south, the New South Wales Bureau of Meteorology said on Twitter: “Significant thundery rainfall is expected over [northeast of NSW] though Sunday and into Monday.

“Life threatening flash flooding and major riverine flooding is possible.”

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