Australian reporter and bystander jump into floodwaters to rescue man from sinking vehicle

Summary

Will Murray, a reporter for Australia's public broadcaster, was covering flooding when he spotted a man in a sinking truck, and he jumped into the floodwaters with a bystander to help rescue him, according to the New York Times. NDTV reports that emergency services arrived about 10 minutes after the rescue. RTÉ reports that the reporter described the moment he swam into rising floodwaters as terrifying. Euronews reports that the rescue happened in Morayfield, Queensland, where the reporter abandoned his shoes and glasses and dived into rising floodwaters to save a driver whose car was sinking fast, as flash floods swamped southeast Australia after record October rainfall forced school closures.

Timeline

1. The New York Times

   22 Oct 2026, 18:39 UTCSource ↗

   The New York Times reports that Will Murray, a reporter for Australia's public broadcaster, spotted a man in a sinking truck during flood coverage and jumped into the water with a bystander to help rescue him.

2. NDTV

   23 Oct 2026, 05:25 UTCSource ↗

   NDTV reports that an Australian reporter and a bystander jumped into floodwaters to rescue a man from a sinking car, and that emergency services arrived about 10 minutes after the rescue.

3. RTÉ

   23 Oct 2026, 07:17 UTCSource ↗

   RTÉ reports that an Australian TV reporter described the "terrifying" moment he swam into rising floodwaters to help pull a man out of a sinking car.

4. Euronews

   23 Oct 2026, 08:29 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that a television reporter abandoned his shoes and glasses and dived into rising floodwaters to save a driver whose car was sinking fast in Morayfield, Queensland, as flash floods swamped southeast Australia.