Emergency services were called to the scene about 4.40pm.

A Sydney driver who parked his car was shocked when he returned after work to find he had been given a ticket.

That's because while he was away, workers had installed new signs banning all-day parking.

They had then slapped tickets on his and other cars.

READ MORE: Patterson now faces a sentence of up to life in prison

The man, who didn't want to be named, told 9news.com.au he felt it was "a money grab by the council".

He left his car at 7am and returned to find the ticket at 3.19pm.

The $140 fine was issued because the car was now in a two-hour parking zone on Huntley Street in Alexandria.

But, he said, he had parked there for seven years without any problem.

READ MORE: Man seen on fire while running from 'suspicious' blaze at Sydney salon

Other drivers were also issued fines and the man said one young worker was crying.

"7am start of work day no signage and rained all morning," he posted online.

"This afternoon as it's cleared up they have put up signage and instantly issued fines.

"No signage by council to warn of when ticketing will commence."

However, the driver had a photo proving the sign had not been there earlier because he saw signs had been installed on the opposite side of the road.

After being contacted by 9news.com.au, parking bosses said all the tickets will be cancelled.

A City of Sydney spokeswoman admitted the blunder.

"The ticket was issued in error after a delay in the parking sign installation and will be cancelled," she said.

"If a motorist receives a fine and believes a mistake has been made, they can request a review through Revenue NSW."  

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Ella was last seen on Waterloo Rd in Lower Hutt this afternoon.

Marc Dmello wanted his name secret, fearing it could harm his chance of becoming a pilot.

Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial attracted so much interest that onlookers were escorted out of court for taking selfies with the now-convicted triple murderer in the background.

The 50-year-old was today found guilty of murdering in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and also of attempting to murder local pastor Ian Wilkinson in an infamous beef Wellington lunch in July 2023.

The case has attracted an enormous amount of attention around both the country and world, generating headlines as far afield as the United Kingdom and United States.

READ MORE: Mushroom killer guilty of triple murder and attempted murder

Now the jury has been discharged, it can be revealed that the local interest in the case reached the extent that some people faced stern talking-tos from the court for attempting to take pictures of Patterson inside the courtroom.

"There were actually people who were getting in trouble at times for taking photos of Erin Patterson in the dock," 9News court reporter Amber Johnston said.

"So members of the public who managed to snag a seat inside would get their phones out, and they were trying to take selfies with Erin Patterson when they were in the dock.

"And during those moments, that's when the lead informant, Detective Stephen Eppingstall, would have to drag them out of the courtroom, would scold them, tell them off, threaten that they were going to be held in contempt of court, and he would have to go through their phones and delete those photos of Erin Patterson.

"I can't think of any other case when we have seen scenes like that."

Patterson had pleaded not guilty to all four charges, and now faces a sentence of up to life in prison for the triple murder and attempted murder.

She will return to the court for a pre-sentence hearing later this year.

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A diver has shared shocking before-and-after photos that reveal the ecological devastation caused by an ongoing algal bloom in South Australian waters.

Mark Tozer, a diver of 38 years' experience, said he was left "stunned" and "heartbroken" yesterday after going diving at the site of a shipwreck, which lies some 12km off the coast of Adelaide's Glenelg Beach.

Tozer, who founded the Rodney Fox and Mark Tozer's Museum and Research Centre, told 9news.com.au he had visited the shipwreck many times before, but this was the first time since a toxic algal bloom began affecting waters off parts of the state's coast last March.

READ MORE: Texas flood death toll hits 70 as 21 children found dead

"While I was aware of the ongoing algal bloom, I had no idea of the true extent of the damage until I saw it for myself."

In an emotional post on Facebook, Tozer said he was still struggling to process what he saw.

"'Chernobyl' is the word that keeps echoing in my mind," he wrote.

"A wreck that's normally teeming with life was stripped bare.

"No fish. No colour. Just silence. It felt like diving through a graveyard."

The post included colourful and vibrant photos Tozer had taken just 12 months earlier at the same spot.

Tozer said the visibility at the site had been reduced to less than a few metres and dead molluscs were scattered across the sea floor.

"This is not just a beach issue," he said.

"This environmental event is stretching far out into the ocean, affecting ecosystems that many assume are untouched.

"I strongly believe the public needs to be made aware that this crisis is not confined to the shorelines—it's spreading deep into our marine environment."

The  Karenia mikimotoi species of algae was first detected on the Fleurieu Peninsula in mid-March.

Metres of foam and dead fish began washing up in a stretch across Waitpinga and Parsons beaches.

Since then, foaming seas and fish kills have been seen along the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and Yorke Peninsula.

Most recently, low levels of the algae have been found in West Lakes, and testing is being done in the Port River.

Karenia mikimotoi is not toxic to humans, but exposure to discoloured or foamy water can cause short-term skin or eye irritation and respiratory symptoms, including coughing or shortness of breath. 

Back in March, more than 100 surfers reported becoming sick with cold and allergy-like symptoms.

The algae can be devastating to marine life and affect fish gills and skin.

Fish, sharks, rays, and a wide range of invertebrates have all been impacted by the ongoing bloom.

According to the SA Department of Environment, there is nothing that can be done to dilute or dissipate the bloom naturally, and similar blooms around the world have lasted from weeks to several months.

The bloom, believed to have been caused by an ongoing marine heatwave and calm conditions, has started to clear somewhat thanks to cooler winter temperatures.

But Department of Environment Director of Strategic Projects Grant Pelton told 9news.com.au late last month the Karenia mikimotoi were just lying dormant until warmer temperatures return in summer.

"What this species does is that when conditions are less favourable, it changes its mode of reproduction, and it ends up producing cysts, which sink to the sea floor, and they float around, and they wait, basically, in simple terms, until the conditions are better again," he said.

"When there's more light, more water, warm water, the appropriate salinity level, and enough nutrients, then they'll start reproducing again."

The algal bloom has hit the the local seafood industry hard, with fishers reporting declining sales, fuelled by consumer concerns over contamination.

Rod Ness, a commercial fisherman in Victor Harbor for three decades, said last week sales at his fresh fish shop had dropped 70 per cent in the last three weeks.

The slump has prompted calls for the algal bloom to be declared a national disaster by the federal government.

Erin Patterson's eyes were "fixed" on the jury as they delivered their verdict today, finding her guilty on all charges in the mushroom murder trial.

9News court reporter Penelope Liersch was in the room as the verdicts were read and said Patterson initially reacted by staring "straight ahead".

"She was blinking a lot. That continued to sort of build as we heard the first verdict, the second, the third, the fourth," Liersch said on the live 9News coverage of the verdict.

LIVE UPDATES: Erin Patterson found guilty

"And during those later verdicts, her eyes were really fixed on this 12-person jury who have decided her fate.

"She continued to watch them as they walked out of the room and then just stared straight ahead, blinking, looking at her the whole time."

Patterson also looked towards members of the media after the verdicts were delivered, "really eyeballing" some individuals.

"I can't say she was crying, but she was certainly blinking quite a lot," Liersch said.

"She appeared to be breathing quite deeply and trying to sort of keep her emotions in check as this happened."

READ MORE: Patterson now faces a sentence of up to life in prison

News broke that the jury had reached a verdict around just before 1.45pm AEST.

Liersch said Patterson was brought into the courtroom "flanked by two security personnel" to hear the verdicts.

She said Patterson spoke with her defence team briefly, then spoke with a female friend who had been in attendance throughout the trial to support her.

"As that friend went to sit down, I saw the friend wiping away tears and Erin Patterson said to her, 'See you soon,'" Liersch said.

"That's obviously not what has happened with these particular verdicts being handed down."

READ MORE: Sydney murder victim worked for Melbourne drug syndicate linked to violent crime spree, police say

The jury delivered its verdicts just after 2.15pm.

Patterson was found guilty of the murder of her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister Heather, and the attempted murder of Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson.

The courtroom was packed with media and members of the public when the verdicts were delivered.

"There were about four homicide detectives in there, including lead informant [Detective Leading Senior Constable] Stephen Eppingstall, who we've heard from a lot throughout this trial," Liersch said.

No members of the Patterson or Wilkinson family were in court.

"There was that female friend, the supporter of Erin Patterson, but we did not see any other family members there," Liersch added.

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Police have released CCTV footage following a "suspicious" fire at a salon Sydney's Inner West last month.

Emergency services were called to a shop on Burwood Road in Burwood about 5am on June 13 and arrived to find the salon ablaze.

Residents living in a unit block above the shop were evacuated as firefighters extinguished the fire.

READ MORE: 'Extraordinary figure' in motorsport killed in Taronga Zoo bike crash

No injuries were reported however the salon was damaged.

Police were called to the same location twice more on July 2 and July 5 following reports several men were seen attempting to break in.

CCTV footage of men seen in the vicinity of the shop has been released as part of the investigation.

The first man is described as being of a medium build and was seen wearing an orange high-vis jumper and dark-coloured pants with high-vis stripes.

READ MORE: Mother of allegedly abused child says she's 'broken'

Footage shows him appearing to shake off flames from his pants as he fled the scene.

The second man is described as having a thin build and was seen wearing a dark hoodie with white stripes and black pants.

The two men are believed to have left the scene along Nicholl Lane following the fire.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Families sifted through waterlogged debris on Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 70 people in central Texas.

Rescuers manoeuvring through challenging terrain continued their desperate search for the missing, including 11 girls and a counsellor from the camp.

How many more remain unaccounted for across the Texas Hill Country and beyond remains unclear as authorities haven't given an estimate even though it has been three days since the storm began pounding the state.

READ MORE: 'Extraordinary figure' in motorsport killed in Taronga Zoo bike crash

In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps, searchers have found 16 bodies since Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of dead there to 59, including 21 children, said Sheriff Larry Leitha.

He pledged to keep searching until "everybody is found" from Friday's flash floods. Four deaths also were reported in Travis County, three in Burnet, two in Kendall and one each in Tom Green and Williamson counties.

Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning on Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man, who said his daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp, walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks.

A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced.

READ MORE: Mother of allegedly abused child says she's 'broken'

One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face looking out the open window, gazing at the wreckage as they slowly drove away.

While the families saw the devastation for the first time, nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the water as they searched the river.

With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so.

Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing," Trump posted on social media.

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose eight metres on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

A day of prayers in Texas

Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.

"I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines," he said in a statement.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History's first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon (8pm AEST) blessing.

"I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them," he said.

The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

"We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time," Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday.

READ MORE: Thunderstorms bring hail as wild weather returns

Harrowing escapes from floodwaters

Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn't reach them.

At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs.

Among those confirmed dead were an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road.

Locals know the area as "flash flood alley" but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings.

Warnings came before disaster

The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.

At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground.

At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organisers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.

US Representative Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.

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Julian Ryan's final words to his mother as floodwaters quickly engulfed their trailer home were simply, "I love you."

He had made a split-second decision to thrust his arm through a window to help his fiancée, two young kids and mum escape the catastrophic flood tearing through Kerr County, Texas, swallowing everything in its path.

That last-ditch effort, an act of bravery, ultimately cost him his life.

READ MORE: Tributes to 'extraordinary figure' in motorsport killed in bicycle-bus crash outside Taronga Zoo

The glass had cut an artery in his arm.

Ryan's mother held him as he bled and took his last breath, his sister, Connie Salas, told CNN.

"He went out a hero," Salas said.

In the pitch-black, storm-lashed hours before dawn on Friday, surging floodwaters unexpectedly ravaged the region, including a campsite filled with sleeping children.

Four months' worth of rain fell in just hours and the nearby Guadalupe River rose over 20 feet, sweeping homes, cars, campers and cabins downstream.

When the sunrise came and the storm softened, the full weight of the disaster came into view.

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Hundreds were missing, including over two dozen girls at a summer camp, and as minutes stretched into hours, hope gave way to grief.

At least 80 people, including 21 children, were killed in the catastrophic Texas floods and the death toll continues to rise, according to local officials.

Ryan's body wasn't recovered until waters receded, according to CNN affiliate KHOU.

Now Ryan's family and their heartbroken Texas community are reckoning with the depth of the tragedy — and searching for answers.

Here's what we know about the victims.

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A father of two and his final heroic act

It had been an exhausting shift for Ryan.

The 27-year-old dishwasher had finished working at a local restaurant before returning to his Ingram, Texas, home, The New York Times reported.

He was finally asleep when surging floodwaters crashed through their trailer home.

In a matter of seconds, their front door gave way, slammed open by the power of the river.

Ryan and his fiancée, with water rising to their chests, placed their 13-month-old and six-year-old on the mattresses, which were floating, to keep them above the rising flood.

But the water kept rising. The bedroom door, sealed tight by the pressure on the other side, wouldn't budge.

In those terrifying moments, Ryan shattered a window in a final attempt to get his family out. The glass tore into his arm, leaving him critically injured, his fiancée Christinia Wilson said.

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She added the glass almost cut his arm clean off.

After multiple calls to 911 went unanswered, Ryan looked at them, she said, and told them, "'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all.'"

His sister, who lived just steps away from him and also lost her home, told CNN there was no warning and no time to act.

A flash flood emergency warning was issued for Kerr County at 4.03am about an hour before the raging Guadalupe River burst from its banks.

The late-night warnings limited who could see them – and how quickly they could move to higher ground.

"We had no time to physically save ourselves," Salas said. "Our last words were, 'I'm scared,'" she said. "And he says, 'Me too.'"

The family is overwhelmed with grief and struggling to cope, Salas says, especially their mother, who was there for Ryan's final moments and saw him take his last breath.

"While they were literally panicking and about to drown, my mother was still holding up her son and he looked at her and said, 'I love you,'" Salas said.

"So my mum has that heartbreak of looking at her son and telling him goodbye, holding him while he takes his last breath."

Salas says the family feels like they're trapped in a nightmare they can't wake up from; a reality where Ryan will never walk through the door again "and be that funny person he is."

Camp Mystic campers

At Camp Mystic, the massive flooding seemed to have ripped the wall off at least one building and left a cabin covered in dirt and mud, with girls' mattresses strewn across the floor, photos of the devastation show.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the camp was "horrendously ravaged." He was shocked, he said, that the rushing water reached the top of the cabins.

The families of at least four campers have confirmed their deaths to CNN, while others are still waiting for news on their children.

Twenty-seven kids are still missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls camp near the Guadalupe River that hosts about 750 kids.

Renee Smajstrla, the 8-year-old Camp Mystic camper who went missing during the torrential flooding in Kerr County, Texas, has died, her family confirmed to CNN.

"It's truly devastating," Shawn Salta, Smajstrla's uncle, told CNN.

Salta said his niece was recovered on Friday.

The mother of missing Camp Mystic camper Janie Hunt, 9, told CNN in a message Saturday morning her daughter had "passed away."

After the catastrophic flooding hit Kerr County in Texas Friday, Anne Hunt told CNN "we are just praying" for her return.

The families of Sarah Marsh and Lila Bonner, two girls who had gone missing from Camp Mystic Friday morning, confirmed to CNN both died.

In a post on Facebook, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said she was "heartbroken" over the loss of Sarah Marsh.

"We are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time," Britt said.

"In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time," the Bonner family said in a statement.

"We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss."

13-and 11-year-old sisters

Blair and Brooke Harber, 13- and 11-year-old sisters, went missing during the flooding along with their grandparents.

The Harbers' father confirmed to CNN Saturday his daughters had died.

"(Blair) was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart," RJ Harber said. "(Brooke) was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment."

His parents, Charlene and Mike Harber, are still missing, but he believes the couple is also deceased.

Girls camp director

Jane Ragsdale was the "heart and soul" of Heart O' the Hills, according to the camp's website.

The co-owner and camp director, Ragsdale died during the floods. She had "influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," the camp said.

The girls camp, set alongside the Guadalupe River, was not in session at the time of the flooding, and "most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground," according to an announcement from the camp.

A video last month shows Ragsdale playing the guitar and singing with campers. She sings the song Let There Always Be A Song.

"When you sing you say, life is good today," "So keep singing till we meet again."

High school soccer coach and his wife

Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach.

The head coach of the Tivy High School's boys soccer team was "a mentor, teacher and a role model," the team said on Facebook.

They added they were mourning "the loss of our leader and inspiration."

Zunker died in this holiday weekend's flooding tragedy, his niece told CNN. Mackenzey Zunker said her father identified her uncle's body Saturday evening.

Paula Zunker, Reece's wife, also died, according to the soccer team's statement and a post by Recce Zunker's cousin, Haley Furlough.

The couple's two children remain unaccounted for, Furlough wrote.

A loving grandmother

Dr. Katheryn Eads, another victim of the Texas floods, "lived a fulfilling life, cut far too short," her daughter Victoria Eads told CNN in a family statement.

"She was an incredible wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and person who spent her life helping kids," the statement continued.

Eads assisted children in the foster care system in her early career and continued on as a psychologist and a college professor, her daughter told CNN.