Supaul:They clung to the snapped electric wire as if it were their only hope.
For four seemingly endless hours the wire was the only remaining link with life for a man and his sons who waged a grim battle for survival amidst the violent waters of the Kosi which has wrought havoc in seven districts of north eastern Bihar.
Radhakant Jha and his sons Ashish and Dinesh had set sail in quest of a safe shelter from Birpur in one of the worst-hit districts after their family had fled the catastrophe, but were caught in the vortex of the furious Kosi.
They shouted and cried to be rescued whenever they saw boats, chock-a-block with people, struggling through choppy waters to relief camps.
Their hope faded as did their voice, drowned in the gurgle of the rapids until one of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) finally heard their cries for help.
"Thank you....thank the God above that we are safe. It is as if we are reborn," said Dinesh before overwhelming emotions choked his voice and tears welled his fatigued eyes.
The three may have lived on to tell their story, but the link to life in the worst hit districts of Supaul, Madhepura, Araria and Saharsa remains tenuous with nearly two million people in the grip of the swollen Kosi that has unleashed havoc in the region.
