Nearly Aus$25mil raised as Australia reels from bushfire fury

Cobargo resident John Aish walking to pump water up to his cows in the top paddock at his destroyed home in Cobargo, as bushfires continue in New South Wales, Australia on Sunday (Jan 5). - Reuters

EDEN: A global appeal to help Australian firefighters tackling catastrophic bushfires raised almost Aus$25mil on Sunday (Jan 5), as swathes of the country suffered extensive damage and the death toll from the long-running crisis hit 24.

East coast seaside towns were plunged into darkness, ash rained down on rural communities and major cities were again cloaked in choking smoke, even as stunned Australians tried to regroup amid a wave of cooler air and light rain.