Up to 20 missing in Australian storms

Emergency services in north-eastern Australia say up to 20 people are missing after torrential rain caused flooding and devastation in the port city of Townsville in Queensland state.

The water set off landslides, cutting road and rail links, and thousands of people have been left without electricity and communications.

Several hundred people were evacuated and housed in emergency shelters.

Police said they feared those missing included a man in a wheelchair who had been swept down a stormwater drain.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service