Monday, September 1, 2008
PATNA, India, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The Indian army and navy stepped up efforts on Monday to rescue hundreds of thousands of people marooned by floods, while rising river levels also rang alarm bells in neighbouring Bangladesh.
In India's impoverished eastern state of Bihar, villagers have been living on rooftops for days, while others are eating plants and leaves after exhausting food stocks.
Aid agencies said the Bihar government should have done more to anticipate the disaster and plan relief operations in a region hit by monsoon flooding every year.
"Lessons from the past disasters should be kept in mind while planning response," ActionAid said in a statement. "A long-term comprehensive response is necessary to deal with relief, recovery and disaster preparedness."
Three million people have been displaced from their homes and at least 90 killed by floods in Bihar, officials say, after the Kosi river burst a dam in Nepal, swamping hundreds of villages in Bihar and destroying 100,000 ha (250,000 acres) of farmlands.
Since the monsoon began in South Asia in June, more than 1,000 people have died in floods, with most of the casualties recorded in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh in July.
In Bihar, hundreds of boats are being used to evacuate people but more are needed, while heavy rains over the past few days have hampered rescue and relief operations, officials said.
"Such is the extent of devastation that the forces deployed are proving too small," Pratyay Amrit, a senior state disaster management official, said on Monday.
The army, which had already deployed five columns of around 120 men, sent in another 14, officials said on Monday, while three naval companies were also asked to help.
The situation on the ground is getting desperate.
"We don't have any more food grain stocks left, and me and my family are all chewing plants and leaves to stay alive," Mohan Sharma said by telephone from Supaul district.
Television pictures showed people fighting to get places in boats, as soldiers in life jackets tried to restore order.
Over 467,000 people have been evacuated so far, but there are thousands still marooned. Activists and local media say the death toll could be many times higher than official estimates.
Some experts have blamed the floods on heavier monsoon rains caused by global warming, while others say authorities have failed to take preventive measures and improve infrastructure.
RISING RIVERS
In India's northeastern state of Assam, rising rivers broke mud embankments and swamped more than 100 villages, forcing 50,000 people from their homes.
Two people drowned overnight, raising the death toll in the northeast region to 34.
Authorities said at least 400,000 people were living in knee-deep water in villages along the border with Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, about half a million people were marooned after several rivers in the north and central districts broke their banks and swamped villages and farmlands.
The Flood Forecasting Centre warned the flood situation could worsen in the next couple of days as the country's three major rivers were rising alarmingly.
|Reuters|
The bodies of Jill Foster, 49, and an unidentified man were found in the ruins of Osbaston House in Maesbrook, Shropshire, days after Tuesday's blaze.
Kirstie Foster, 15, and her father Christopher, 50, remain unaccounted for.
Police specialist search teams found the remains of a third person on Sunday evening, a spokesperson said.
Detectives have said they are treating the case as a murder inquiry.
Post-mortem tests revealed Mrs Foster had been shot in the head prior to the blaze, which police said was started deliberately at about 0500 BST last Tuesday.
Tests were being carried out to establish whether a rifle, which was legitimately owned by Mr Foster, was the murder weapon.
Officers said the cause of death for the second body, believed to be a man, still had to be established, along with the dead person's identity.
Three horses and four dogs were also found dead in different parts of the house. All had been shot.
Det Supt Jon Groves, of West Mercia Police, said it would take "some time" to remove the third body from the scene "due to its position".
However, he said police were hoping to remove it from the house by the end of the day, with a post-mortem examination taking place later.
He said a forensic archaeologist would be visiting the site later in the morning to offer specialist advice on removing the body.
He thanked the local community for its support over the last week.
The Fosters were last seen the night before the blaze at a friend's barbecue and Kirstie had been online until about 0100 BST on the morning of the fire.
Mr Foster made his fortune developing insulation technology for oil rigs.
Court documents show that his company, Ulva Ltd, which had gone into liquidation, faced legal action from one of its suppliers for thousands of pounds and also owed about £800,000 in tax.
Kirstie wrote on her page on the social networking site Bebo that her horses were her "life" and posted dozens of pictures of her with the animals.
Friends of hers have been leaving messages on her page.
One friend, Chloe, wrote: "I can't belive that one of the bodys was your mam. RIP Jill Foster. I hope that the other body isnt your dad.
"An I hope they dont find any mor an your just havin a week somewer with your dad or sumink."
Another friend, Danielle, referred to Kirstie's horses - Scrumpy Jack, Breezy and Bramble - which were found dead in the outbuildings of the mansion.
She wrote: "I miss you soo much. My thorts are with you 24/7 and there are some points in the day i just wanna break down and cry.
"Life feels weird without you. Please be okay, otherwise I dunno wat ill doo. RIP Jill and Jack and Breezy and Bramble."
Her friend George wrote: "Plz b ok kirstie. We r all thinkin bowt u."
Another friend called Lucy added: "Forever in our hearts, once there forever in our lives."
Special prayers for the family were held on Sunday at Maesbrook Parish Church.
The Reverend Prebendary David Austerberry said the local community had been "bewildered and stunned" by what had happened.
Mr Groves said: "We have had a lot of support and understanding from members of the community and I would like to thank residents for that.
"The search and examination of the property is continuing and is still expected to take several days, possibly even weeks, and I am grateful for the continued support of those living in the area.
"Our thoughts remain with the families of Chris, Jill and Kirstie Foster and we will follow up every possible line of enquiry to establish what happened at Osbaston House in the early hours of Tuesday."
|Sources bbc.co.uk|
