Australian floods kill two, more evacuations as clean-up begins

A local resident paddles a kayak over a flooded street as severe flooding affects the suburb of Windsor after days of heavy rain in the state of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, March 24, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY (Reuters) -The bodies of two men were found in Australia on Wednesday in cars trapped in floodwaters, the first deaths linked to wild weather in recent days that has submerged houses, swept away livestock and cut off entire towns.

More than 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as torrential rain sparked dangerous flash floods, and authorities issued new evacuation orders for residents of Sydney's western regions to move to safety.