"Living among dead" is common in flooded Bihar

Madhepura, Sep 3 (UNI) The catastrophic floods in Bihar have brought forth harrowing tales of ''living among the dead.'' In a house in a hamlet of Madhepura, the worst hit district, a group of people, including women and children, were living with a lifeless body since the past three days.

About 30 people, trapped in the flood water, had taken shelter on the roof of a house near Rahta chowk. One person could not bear the pangs of the flood and died on Sunday.

The villagers were desperately waiting for a rescue boat to evacuate them so that they could perform his last rites. But after three days they were forced to put the body on some bamboo sticks and leave it in the flood water to be washed away.

A relative said they were fighting the miseries for the past 10 to 15 days but there was no sight of relief.

Flood victims of another village of the district had experienced a similar situation as they had to live with three bodies for a few days.

Some of the ailing people and aged persons could not bear the miserces and breathed their last one by one.

The hapless villagers saw them dying and lived with them waiting for the rescue team.

Hovering helicopters too could not locate them as the house was surrounded by trees.

They too had to leave the bodies in the flood water which finally washed them away.

The victims were ultimately able to send distress messages and were later evacuated.

UNI RS PL SP RK1731