Hero emerges as floodwaters crest in Brisbane

BRISBANE, Australia - Floodwaters washing through Australia's third-largest city crested Thursday just shy of record levels but high enough to submerge entire neighborhoods and cause damage one official likened to the aftermath of war.

The flooding in the northwest has killed 25 people since late November. At least 61 people are missing, and the death toll is expected to rise.

One tale has particularly transfixed the country: a 13-year-old boy caught in the flood who told strangers to save his 10-year-old brother first and died as a result.

Jordan and Blake Rice were in the car Monday with their mother, Donna, when a wall of water pummeled Toowoomba. After the torrent knocked one rescuer over, another man managed to reach the car. At Jordan's insistence, he pulled Blake out first, according to a third brother, Kyle.

"Courage kicked in, and he would rather his little brother would live," the 16-year-old said. Jordan and his mother were washed away before the men were able to get back to them.

By Wednesday, Jordan's name was among the top 10 most used terms on Twitter, as a wave of tweets hailed him as a "true hero" of the Queensland floods.

In Brisbane, one man died after being sucked into a storm drain by the muddy waters, Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said. - AP