New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Army today intensified its ongoing rescue work in flood hit areas of Bihar, and rushed 16 additional columns of men to join relief efforts.

Central Army Commander Lt General H S Panag, who is supervising the operations, said: “Another 16 columns of men have been sent to areas affected by the floods in River Kosi.”

The Army also pressed into service six helicopters -- four Cheetahs and two Dhruvs -- for rescuing people marooned in areas inaccessible by road or by boat. Twenty one columns are already deployed for rescue and relief work.

Patna, Aug 31: Adding vows to the already devastated Bihar flood victims, the swollen Kosi River breached its embankments of the Jankinagar Branch Canal (JBC) in Purnia district on Saturday night. 

With reported discharge of around 2.5 lakh cusec of water into the river from Nepal, the Kosi broke through its eastern embankment at Jankinagar.

According to official sources, the flood water was fast submerging villages in Dharhara Kothi, Dhamdaha and Bhavanipur blocks of the district.

Purnia/Patna, August 30 : Fury of floods continues in Bihar forcing the people to shift to safer areas as they complain of lack of relief and rehabilitation.

The people of Madhepura district of the State, where about a million people are caught in the web of floods, complained on Saturday that the government is not providing relief to the victims.

“There has been no relief from the government. There are no medical facilities and the hospital and the police station are left locked,” said Mukesh Kumar, a flood victim.

Saharsa (Bihar), Aug. 30 : With the monsoon fury leaving millions of people marooned in north Bihar, the boat makers here are working day-and-night to meet the high demand for boats from the affected families.

As it takes two days to prepare one boat, people are staying near the boat making yards since they can''t return without a boat to save their family. A normal large sized boat costs between 6,000 and 15,000 rupees.

On their part, the boat makers are capitalising on the urgent needs of the public.

Patraghat (Bihar), Aug 30: Thousands of people, some with all their belongings on their heads, walked away from their flooded homes through narrow and submerged roads in Bihar on Friday.

Many children rode on their cows and buffaloes.

Bimlesh Yadav, a villager, who left his home along with his wife and two small children, said they had lost all their life savings in these floods, the worst in the past 50 years.

"We are going to Seharsa town. We have lost everything. All our belongings have submerged in the floodwaters. We are leaving to save our children," Yadav said.

Madhepura , August 29 (ANI): Several people are fear dead as a boat carrying flood victims capsized in the swollen Kosi in Bihar''s Madhepura district during a rescue mission on Friday.

Reportedly, 100 people were traveling in the boat and only four can be saved.

Superintendent of Police O. N. Bhaskar said the private boat sank near Mirganj in Murliganj block of the district this evening.

The rescue teams of the Army and National Disaster Response Force have been pressed into service to locate the bodies and possible survivors, he said.