WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Monsoon rains unleashed flooding in Australia’s Queensland that have claimed the lives of two people as the week-long deluge dropped months of rainfall in a few days, devastating small rural towns on the state’s north coast.

Hinchinbrook Shire Mayor Ramon Jayo says the floodwaters are “receding” in Ingham following days of relentless rain and floods. A second person has died in Far North Queensland. Emergency alerts remain in place even though the worst of the severe weather has passed.

Queensland’s flood watch zone has been extended as the state’s north prepares for a more rain, which could hamper recovery efforts in the already hard-hit and waterlogged parts of the coast.

Record-breaking floods across north Queensland have now turned deadly, with one woman drowning while being rescued on Sunday morning. And the floodwaters are still rising, with rain set to continue.