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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A beached ship carrying more than 200,000 gallons of fuel oil withstood pounding waves with no signs of leaking as maritime officials on Sunday expressed hope of removing the freighter.
Authorities urged thousands of Australians to evacuate as floodwaters surged from three days of wild weather. Nine people have been killed since storms began Friday near the port city of Newcastle, 90 miles north of Sydney.
About 5,000 people in the towns of Maitland and Singleton were ordered to leave their homes late Sunday, as the state's emergency coordinator warned the nearby Hunter River could rise more than 36 feet above normal height, breaching levees and flooding neighborhoods.
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