Horses, cars and people stuck on Woodburn Bridge

People and horses were stuck on Woodburn Bridge as the brown waters of the Richmond River rose.

As residents tried to flee their homes, the water came up quickly.

SES members are there on the bridge organising the rescue effort.

Helicopter footage from Sunrise TV showed a long line of cars intermingled with horses.

The cars at either end of the bridge went underwater.

This has required a massive rescue operation by the SES as the river continues to rise.

The Richmond River at Woodburn is likely to reach 6.50 metres this morning with major flooding above the February 1954 peak of 5.42 metres.

Photos are from the Sunrise Show helicopter video and are blurry as they are stills from that video.