27 December 2023 , 11:50
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A nine-year-old girl was one of at least 10 people who was killed over the festive period as severe thunderstorms hit the east of Australia.
Mia Holland-McCormack was killed on Boxing Day after she left home just before the storm - with high winds, large hailstones and torrential rain - hit. She was last seen around 6.15pm and a search party was quickly formed to find her.
She was found a few kilometres away and was unresponsive and was not able to be saved at 11pm the same day.
A GoFundMe page set up by her father's cousin Tamara read: "On Boxing Day evening the unthinkable happened when Mia (9) was found unresponsive in flood waters. Mia loved adventures and getting up to mischief, however being severely autistic this was additionally challenging for her amazing parents Ryan and Kayla.
"On the evening of 26 December 2023, Mia took off over the back fence at home, just before a storm hit. She was found a few kms from home in the water unresponsive. As this devastating news comes to the harsh light of reality, so too does the added costs Ryan and Kayla are about to take on, already being a time where everyone is stretched after Christmas.
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"If you are able to, I ask that you donate what you can, to help cover funeral costs, additional grief counseling and no doubt some additional time off work while they work through this devastation. Every little bit counts - I know it’s a tough time but it all adds up - even $2 when we all group together."
Victoria and Queensland Police confirmed three men were killed after a large boat with 11 on board capsized near Green Island in Moreton Bay, Queensland. A 59-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree on the Gold Coast on Christmas night, and the bodies of a 40-year-old woman and a 46-year-old woman were found in the Mary River in the town of Gympie.