Flood victim's body carried 80km

A victim found 80 kilometres away from where the person went missing in the Lockyer Valley demonstrates the massive search and rescue task ahead, authorities say.

Sixteen people have been found dead, many of them in the Lockyer Valley, which was decimated by a wall of water that rushed through it this week. Fifty-three remain missing, 12 of whom authorities hold "grave fears" for.

The toll has risen to 16 after the discovery of a woman's body in Grantham, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh announced this evening (NZT).

Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the force of the water had carried victims a long way.

"One of the people who are confirmed deceased was found 80 kilometres downstream from where they were reported missing," he told reporters on Friday.

"I think this just demonstrates and highlights the complexity of these search and rescue operations and also the time that's going to be consumed searching all of the creeks and streams associated with this river system."

He said he understood families and communities were anxious for news of the missing.

"A lot of resources are being put into the search and we're doing the best we can to complete the search as quickly as possible," he said.

After searching homes on Thursday, Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said crews were starting to sort through the huge piles of debris that have been left scattered throughout the valley.

He said it was possible some bodies may never be found, noting that emergency workers had more than 200km of waterways to cover.

"This search can't possibly be completed until some time next week," he said.

"And we could not exclude the possibility that someone may never be found."

Meanwhile, a team of 80 specialist fire and rescue officers and 36 recruits have been deployed into Ipswich and Brisbane to help the clean-up and assessment effort.

Disturbingly, there have now been nine people arrested in Brisbane and another in Ipswich on a total 18 charges of looting, with dinghies and other small items allegedly being taken, Mr Atkinson said.

He and Mr Roberts reminded that the maximum penalty for looting doubled to 10 years during disasters.

They urged residents who spied suspicious behaviour to call police.

- AAP