Heartbreak in the Valley of Death

Grantham flood survivor Linda Weston, sitting on a salvaged luggage, reflects on the tragedy that struck her tiny Queensland community. Photo / Daily Telegraph

The water is starting to recede in Queensland but the body count continues to rise in the devastated Lockyer Valley region where dozens of people remain missing.

Last night, 15 people were confirmed dead in this week's floods, and 61 people were unaccounted for - most of them from the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, the area hit hardest.

The Herald has been told funeral directors already have more bodies than the 15 officially listed as dead, and there are fears the final toll will be much higher.

Fuelling those fears was the sudden increased presence yesterday of police, divers and more than 100 soldiers in the small town of Grantham.

Police sources and Grantham residents fear the death toll could exceed 40.

Kel Wood, who was forced to climb onto a pub's roof as the floodwaters hit, said the ordeal would haunt him forever.

"We saw a brick house, with three people inside, just get destroyed and washed downstream," he said.

"You could see the young bloke, his mother and father screaming out for help and waving their hands. There was nothing anyone could do. We know the people, so to see them get washed downstream like that was just heartbreaking."

Mr Wood said police hadn't yet recovered the three bodies.

Assistant Police Commissioner Stephen Gollschewski said yesterday that officials in Grantham "don't know what to expect".

"The army will remain as long as it takes to get the job done."

The Queensland Times reported that bodies, including children, had been found under rubble, in homes and along fencelines hundreds of metres out of town.

Some had washed up about 30km down the Lockyer Creek at Brightview.

Yesterday, dozens of police went to a paddock about 5km east of Grantham and searched piles of debris looking for bodies after a resident reported a foul smell.

Hearses were escorted from the town by officers, returning to the devastated community a short time later.

The only good news from the town and its 150 residents was that rescuers combing wreckage under a bridge found no bodies, ending fears many may have been trapped.

Police divers returned to the area yesterday morning. They were searching through Sandy Creek, below the town's railway bridge, with body bags in their hands.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said Lockyer Valley had been "completely and utterly devastated" by the floods.

"There are whole towns that are now unrecognisable," she said.

In Murphys Creek, about 25km from Grantham, 11 of the 12 people missing are from two local families. Authorities say they have grave fears for the 12.

A wall of water tore through the small town on Tuesday, leaving demolished houses and crumpled cars.

Local policeman Senior Sergeant Russell Reynolds told the Herald the entire area had been devastated.

" There's not a building that isn't pushed off its foundations, crushed by something heavy, washed away or had all its contents strewn all over the neighbourhood.

"There is mud everywhere. Every fence, every railway line, every structure stood in the ground has debris on it."

Most Lockyer Valley residents are at evacuation centres, and Mr Reynolds said the area was like a ghost town, apart from rescue and emergency workers. "We're in the search-and-rescue phase and that will involve the retrieval of bodies."

Cars have been swept into the side of buildings, into paddocks and up trees.

One vehicle is near the top of a 20m gum tree and rescuers cannot find out if anyone is inside it.

Grantham resident Linda Weston told the ABC the previous two days had been "absolutely terrifying".

She said a lot of help would be needed to get the town back to normal.

"Just a bit of extra help to keep us going ... We've got to be strong to get through this," she said.

Lockyer Valley Mayor Steve Jones was evacuating residents and told the Herald his priority was to help his community.

"Some of our towns are totally destroyed - and I mean totally, there's nothing left.