A man’s body has been found in the flooded Australian town of Lismore – the twelfth person to have died in Australia’s recent floods.

The man’s body was found on the main street in the New South Wales town on Wednesday.

The bodies of two women, both aged in their 80s, were found in Lismore on Tuesday.

Both had died in their homes.

New South Wales Deputy Premier Paul Toole said: “We know in realistic terms, we may see more loss of life over the coming days.

“This is a catastrophic event.”

It comes after nine people were killed in flooding in the north-eastern state of Queensland.

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Severe weather warnings were issued for parts of New South Wales on Wednesday, including Australia’s biggest city, Sydney.

The Bureau of Meteorology said that up to 150mm of rain could fall on the city during the day, with the chance of severe thunderstorms and gusty winds.

Forecasters said that the rain would fade away on Thursday, with a quieter day on Friday, before the weather becomes more extreme again on Saturday and Sunday.

The Illawarra, south of Sydney, recorded 135mm of rain in 24 hours, while Holsworthy in south-western Sydney recorded 65mm.

The Bureau of Meteorology said that a further 160mm could fall within a six-hour period later on Wednesday.

In Ballina, about 550 miles north of Sydney, the Richmond River burst its banks, knocking out communications and leaving the town’s mayor pleading for help from the military.

Mayor Sharon Cadwallader told 9 News: “We’re doing all we can.

“The State Emergency Service (SES) has been amazing, but it’s courage under fire, it really is.

“We need help now.

“We need the ADF (Australian Defence Force) here right now to help us out with the petrol for the SES. Communications – we’ve got to have communications.”

She told residents to leave their homes for safety during what has been described as a “one in a 1000 year” flooding event.

In Queensland, thousands of homes were hit with floodwater on Sunday and the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the six-day total rainfall for Brisbane was 792.9mm (31.2 inches).

The previous record, set in 1974, was 655.8mm (25.8 inches) of rain in Brisbane.

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