Woman found dead near Ingham as state’s north prepares for more rain

A second person has died in Queensland’s flood emergency as unprecedented downpours continue to smash the state’s far north.

The body of an 82-year-old woman was found in a cane paddock on Fulton Dr in Bermside, near Ingham, just after 11am on Tuesday.

A neighbour had last seen the woman inside her two-storey home about 6pm on Monday.

Police said the neighbour raised concerns when they were unable to find her inside the home the next day.

Her body was found in the paddock after floodwaters had receded.

The Ingham community had already been rocked by the death of a 63-year-old woman when an SES boat helping people through floodwaters struck a tree and flipped on Sunday.

Other flood-hit communities in the state’s far north have started to return to their homes but are being warned to brace for more heavy downpours.

Record-breaking rain has lashed north Queensland during the past week, sparking floods that have cut power, damaged roads and forced hundreds of people to flee.

There has been some relief with heavy rainfall easing, providing hope a massive clean-up facing the inundated region is set to finally begin.

However, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned major flooding is ongoing in multiple catchments despite the isolated and less widespread showers.

Major flood warnings were still in place for the Herbert and Haughton River catchments late on Tuesday after the region was lashed by rain.

While widespread 24-hour rainfall totals across the coast dropped to between 50mm and 100mm, heavy falls were still being recorded in some areas with Mackay copping 193mm and about 200mm falling along the coastline spanning Cairns and Innisfail.

And the bureau warned cumulative rainfall totals from the past week were driving the ongoing flood risk for the region.

Seven-day rainfall totals surpassed 1m for some areas, with 1697mm recorded at Cardwell Range, 1693mm at Rollingstone and 1662mm at Macknade Sugar Mill.