Four people have died and whole towns have been left submerged in water after flooding struck New South Wales in Australia. A deluge of rain over the past few days has caused severe flooding along the coast north of Sydney.

Four people have died and several were missing as major flooding in New South Wales (NSW) left about 50,000 people isolated by floodwaters. The record rainfall, now declared a natural disaster, has been caused by a slow-moving area of low pressure and is greater than any in living memory for some residents, according to local authorities.