1 dead, thousands without power as severe winds hit Australia

Sydney, Sep 2 (IANS) One person has died and tens of thousands of Australians have been left without power after powerful storms swept across the country's southeast, authorities said on Monday.

Authorities in Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) confirmed that a woman was killed by a falling tree in the early hours of Monday morning during a night of severe weather. Another man was slightly injured and taken to a nearby hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.

Strong winds and heavy rainfall caused widespread damage across southeastern Australia on Sunday night.

In Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, over 140,000 properties were without power as of 8 a.m. on Monday morning.

Parts of the state recorded winds of up to 146 km per hour on Sunday night and the State Emergency Service received more than 1,000 calls for help, including 800 for fallen trees and 200 for building damage.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts more strong winds for Victoria on Monday, with hail and thunderstorms also possible, before conditions ease on Tuesday.

Electricity provider United Energy warned that it could take several days to restore power to the entire state.

Lily D'Ambrosio, Victoria's energy minister, said at a press conference on Monday morning that it was too dangerous to make repairs to fallen power lines in some areas.

An additional 7,000 households were affected by blackouts in South Australia on Sunday night while several flood warnings were issued in the island state of Tasmania.

Total fire bans have been put in place across Sydney and in southern NSW due to the extreme winds.

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