SYDNEY, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Communities near a major river in the Australian state of Queensland have been put on high alert for flooding as torrential rainfall continued across the state on Thursday.

A major flood warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said that flooding of the Mackenzie River in Queensland's Central Highlands region is expected to peak on Thursday.

It comes after residents in low-lying areas surrounding the river were on Wednesday told to evacuate immediately due to dangerous flooding.

The Mackenzie River, which is a major tributary of the Fitzroy River and part of the largest catchment that drains to Australia's east coast, surpassed major flood levels on Wednesday near the small town of Tartrus, over 600 kilometers northwest of the state capital of Queensland.

The BoM said on Thursday that the Fitzroy River is expected to rise later in the week as flows arrive from the Mackenzie River and that moderate flooding is possible in the city of Rockhampton, which has a population of around 80,000 people, from Monday.

BoM forecaster Morgan Pumpa told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday that further flooding is also a serious concern for saturated remote communities in northwestern Queensland that have been affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said on Wednesday that many regions have received more rainfall over the past week than they would in an average year.

The Queensland Department of Industry said that over 54,000 cattle had perished or were missing in floodwaters as of Wednesday and that more than 3,700 km of roads had been damaged. ■