Helicopters sent in to rescue dozens trapped in Gascoyne floodwaters

Emergency services in Western Australia’s north are working to evacuate dozens of people from floods in the Gascoyne region.

Operations were underway today to rescue around 40 people who became stranded in and around Minilya, about 120 kilometres north of Carnarvon.

A tropical low, previously expected to become WA’s first cyclone of the season, dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain in the state’s north last week, leading to flooding over major roads.

Truck driver Rob Minson was airlifted to safety by an RAC helicopter this morning, more than 36 hours after he became stranded on a patch of dry land along with three others.