SYDNEY, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- One person has died and residents of several suburbs have been told to evacuate within hours amid widespread flooding in Australia's northeast.

Authorities in the state of Queensland said one person died after a State Emergency Service (SES) boat capsized while assisting members of the public in Ingham, about 100 kilometers north of Townsville on Sunday.

Authorities said that there were six people, including SES members, on the boat when it capsized. Five people were recovered but a member of the public could not be saved from the floodwaters.

Authorities advised residents of six suburbs in Townsville, a city of about 200,000 people on Australia's northeast coast, to evacuate.

"Your safety is more important than anything else and we're asking you to leave by midday if you're in one of those affected areas," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said.

"If you are in harm's way, we're asking residents to please seek safety, and indeed if you need assistance, please reach out for it."

Warnings for potentially dangerous and life-threatening flooding have been in place for the region between Townsville and the city of Cairns to the north since Friday.

Crisafulli said that one part of Townsville received 620 millimeters of rain in the 20 hours to 6 a.m. local time on Sunday and that over 2,000 properties in the region were left without electricity.

The Ross River dam above the city reached 153 percent of its normal capacity. The Queensland Fire Department said on Sunday morning that swift water crews had undertaken 15 rescues. It said it was deploying additional rescue crews to the region. Enditem

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