Man found dead as Australia's Victoria state inundated by flooding

ANKARA (AA) – A 71-year-old man was found dead at a home in Rochester, a small town in Australia's state of Victoria, on Saturday as the country battles extreme weather.

"Tragically, a man has passed away in Rochester. I know how close-knit the Rochester community is, and this will be impacting you all. Our hearts go out to you," Dan Andrews, the premier of Victoria, said on Twitter.

Areas of three southeastern states – Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania – are under emergency flood warnings following heavy rains in the southeast this week.

The crisis comes after flooding in March and April on the east coast, which killed more than 20 people.

Andrew said "the skies might be blue, there's a massive amount of water in catchments that will be moving down rivers in the coming days."

There are about 500 homes flooded, and more which are inaccessible, and the numbers will rise, he added.

The premier said the flooding has damaged roads across the state, but contractors are on the go to repair "those roads so we can get those reopened as quickly as we can."

"We're not out of the woods. Far from it," he said, adding that there are thousands of volunteers, emergency workers, and emergency personnel "doing an amazing job."