Rescuers pull people from cars stuck in flood water as more NSW residents told to evacuate

NSW is in for further drenching later in the week. Photograph: Loren Elliott/Reuters

Communities across large parts of New South Wales were on flood alert on Sunday afternoon, with a saturated landscape and swollen rivers in line for a further drenching on Wednesday.

By 1pm on Sunday, the NSW State Emergency Service had received more than 340 requests for help and carried out 28 flood rescues over the previous 24 hours – many were rescued from vehicles as they tried to drive through flood water.