SYDNEY, Sept 2 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Powerful storms swept across southeast Australia, leaving one person dead and tens of thousands without power, authorities reported on Monday.
In New South Wales (NSW), the country's most populous state, a woman was killed by a falling tree during the severe weather, and another man sustained minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, reported Xinhua.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall caused widespread damage across southeastern Australia on Sunday night.
In Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, over 140,000 properties were without power as of 8 am on Monday morning.
Parts of the state recorded winds of up to 146 km per hour on Sunday night and the State Emergency Service received more than 1,000 calls for help, including 800 for fallen trees and 200 for building damage.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast more strong winds for Victoria on Monday, with hail and thunderstorms also possible, before conditions ease on Tuesday.
Electricity provider United Energy warned that it could take several days to restore power to the entire state.
Lily D'Ambrosio, Victoria's energy minister, said at a press conference on Monday morning that it was too dangerous to make repairs to fallen power lines in some areas.
An additional 7,000 households were affected by blackouts in South Australia on Sunday night while several flood warnings were issued in the island state of Tasmania.
Total fire bans have been put in place across Sydney and in southern NSW due to the extreme winds.
--BERNAMA-XINHUA
