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Father and daughter spent two nights clinging to tree in floodwaters

A father and daughter have been airlifted to safety following two days of clinging to a tree after their car was washed away by floodwaters in Queensland.

The man and the primary school-aged girl were driving on Friday night in the Gympie region when their car was caught between two sections of floodwater and began filling with water.

The pair climbed onto the roof of the car but were swept into the water, forcing them to cling to a tree they were washed into.

A girl and her father are assisted by paramedics on a helicopter.
The primary school-aged girl and her father were assisted by LifeFlight crews. RIGHT: The rope that was used to tie them to the tree can be seen. Source: Supplied/RACQ LifeFight
car
The man's car began filling with water, prompting him and his daughter to climb to the roof before they were washed into a tree. Source: Suppled/RACQ LifeFlight

Tied themselves to the tree

According to a statement released by RACQ LifeFlight Rescue, the man swam back to the car to get a rope and used it to tie himself and his daughter to the tree so they wouldn’t be washed away.

On Sunday after the water levels had dropped, they climbed down more than 10 metres to the ground and made their way to the homestead to raise the alarm, where a rescue helicopter was called to the Gympie region at 1pm.

LifeFlight rescue said the pair were airlifted to a regional hospital for further medical attention and suffered "exposure, dehydration and a lot of insect bites".

Man killed in flood waters, teen girl still missing

It was the second flood-related rescue over the weekend as major flooding continues in Maryborough and the surrounding areas as a result of ex-tropical cyclone Seth.

RACQ LifeFlight also rescued a man on Saturday who had been injured after he drove into floodwaters in the early hours of the morning.

According to LifeFlight, he was able to get himself out of his vehicle and walked for approximately a kilometre until he was able to find a house and call for help.

Aerial view of floodwaters in the CBD of a large Queensland town.
Aerial view of floodwaters impacting the CBD of Maryborough, north of Brisbane. Source: AAP
Rising floodwaters in Gympie, Queensland. Source: AAP
Rising floodwaters in Gympie, Queensland. Source: AAP

Tragically, the body of a 22-year-old man was found in his ute on Saturday in Queensland after his vehicle became submerged in the floodwaters.

There are still grave concerns for a missing 14-year-old girl.

State Disaster Coordinator Steve Gollschewski said the father and daughter's rescue gave crews hope for the missing teenager.

"While we have very grave concerns, we are hopeful … we saw yesterday a pair of people come out after an extended period in a tree," he said.

"They were able to be supported when they came out after what was probably a pretty terrible experience for them, but they are safe."

With AAP

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