Australian Navy Ships Evacuate 1,000 People Trapped by Bushfires

The Australian Navy landing ship HMAS Choules, supported by the training ship, MV Sycamore, evacuated 1,000 tourists and residents stranded by bushfires in Mallacoota, Australia.

ABC News Australia reports that about 4,000 people, including some 3,000 tourists, have been stranded in the town since they were forced to shelter on the foreshore as the fire approached on New Year’s Eve. Roads in and out of the isolated town, in Victoria’s far east, have been blocked by the still-burning blaze and could take weeks to clear.

The most vulnerable in the town are being evacuated by helicopter. The process of loading the vessels took several hours, and the journey from Mallacoota to Hastings, on Western Port, should take a further 17 hours.

Mallacoota evacuations begin as thousands trapped by fires are transported to Navy ships | ABC News

Comments

Australian Navy Ships Evacuate 1,000 People Trapped by Bushfires — 4 Comments

  1. Are any of the Bass Strait Oilfield support ships at Barry Beach helping in any way?

  2. Yes David, they were the first ships there, I have heard there were 2 present, and apparently they transported emergency supplies as well as providing medical aid. The media has failed to acknowledge their response at all.

  3. its very upsetting to see the devastation happening in Australia and I’m wondering if they are using helicopters to take water from the Ocean & dropping it onto the fire areas . A practice that has been used in other Countries in the past. Does Australia not have those resources?