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Campers rescued from 'Mystery Machine' after overnight flood

By Ben Hooper
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Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Three backpackers sleeping in a van painted like Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine woke up to find their vehicle partially submerged in Australian floodwaters.

A video posted to Facebook by Pyramid Views shows the van used by the British campers submerged almost up to its roof while parked at a picnic area in Gordonvale, Queensland, following heavy overnight rains.

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Queensland Fire and Rescue Officer Guy Bulmer was the first responder on the scene about 6 a.m. Tuesday.

"The water levels were up the [at the] window level of the vehicle and there were three English backpackers on the roof," Bulmer told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "There was a croc sign almost right next to the vehicle."

Fire and Rescue officers helped the campers travel from the roof of the vehicle to dry land.

"It was good they decided not to try and self-evacuate from the vehicle with water levels rising rapidly -- and it had some flow," Bulmer said. "You just don't know what's in those flooded waters; there could be crocodiles or other obstacles that could cause injury."

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