QLD: Body of elderly man found in submerged tractor
06 Mar 2009 2:19 PM
BRISBANE, March 6 AAP - Police divers have found the body of an elderly man in a tractor submerged by floodwaters in Queensland.
The tractor was pulled from the flooded Flinders River, 250km east of Mt Isa, at about 3.30pm (AEST) on Thursday.
Police believe the body may be that of a 70-year-old Julia Creek man, who went missing on February 27 near Normanton Road, Julia Creek, when he was swept away by rising waters while in his tractor.
Initial tyre marks indicate the man was grading areas near the Flinders River bridge crossing when water levels started rising.
Police were alerted to the man's disappearance when a fellow worker went to the crossing later that morning, only to find the bridge had already been submerged by half a metre of quick flowing water.
The search for the man was initially hampered by rising water levels.
A private aircraft from a nearby property, a mustering helicopter and ground searches all failed to find any sign of the man or his tractor in the days after his disappearance.
The SES swiftwater flood boat team went to the crossing but had been unable to launch their vessel because of the fast flowing water.
