PHOTO: courtesy (BBC)

A mother and her two children have drowned after their car plunged into floodwaters in Australia.

Their bodies were recovered from a swollen New South Wales (NSW) river on Tuesday following torrential rain in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie.

An eight-year-old girl, also part of the family, escaped the vehicle before running to a house for help.

At least three other people have died in Australia’s floods since the storm made landfall a week ago, police said.

Authorities have not named the latest victims, but local media said they included a seven-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl.

(BBC)