Rescuers flew residents out of a remote Australian town by helicopter on Saturday as record-high floods rose rapidly and authorities issued a "final alert" to evacuate. Police said helicopters and other aircraft had already flown out 53 vulnerable people over the past few days from the small community of Burketown in northeastern Australia.

Murky water lapped at the sides of buildings in the town, which lies 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) northwest of the Queensland capital Brisbane and is usually home to about 200 people. The swollen Albert River had transformed wide areas of land around the town into lakes, with only the tops of trees visible, aerial images provided by emergency services showed.

Police said about half of the town's houses had been flooded. Only about 100 people remained in the Queensland town by Saturday morning and helicopters were ferrying more people to safety, state police said. "At the moment the water movements are unpredictable and are rising at a rapid pace," the local Burke Shire Council said in a "final alert" to residents.

"We strongly encourage residents to evacuate," it said, telling them to pack a bag and warning there would be no evacuation flights after Saturday. Evacuated resident Shannon Moren told public broadcaster ABC she was worried about the impact of the flooding on livestock.

"I checked on my parents' cattle property the other day and you can see cattle up to their necks in the water, literally swimming for their lives," she said. Police also urged all remaining residents to get out.

The elderly and young children were a priority for evacuation, Queensland police said in a statement, adding that sewerage systems had been "compromised" and power would also be cut off. "It is not safe for people to remain," police said. Following heavy rains, which have since eased, the Albert River has topped a March 2011 record of 6.78 metres (22 feet), Queensland's bureau of meteorology said.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP