The Armed Force has carried out massive rescue and relief operations in the flood affected districts of Bihar. A large number of marooned people have been evacuated to safer places and about 20,000 to 25,000 people are being evacuated daily.

With a furious Kosi pushing the famished, homeless people to the edge, the hunger of hundreds of flood victims turned into rage on Monday as they attacked government vehicles carrying relief material and a storeroom at a camp in search of food and water for their starving children.

While vehicles bringing relief material from Saharsa district were pounced upon along the submerged streets here, the hunger-fuelled fury drove a bunch of people to barge into the guarded storeroom at the government relief camp on the premises of T P College here. The flood victims chased away cops on duty and grabbed food packets in free-for-alls.

The situation turned tense after people failed to get any help from the authorities despite waiting for food for hours. Despite the presence of State Auxiliary Force cops, the officials and panchayat leaders kept delaying the distribution of food packets. It started with people abusing officials. That cut no ice and the hungry began to swing their lathis at the cops. And then the storeroom door was broken open and sacks full of readymade food packets were looted as the cops ran for cover.

But only the fittest won this fight for food. ‘‘Ki karbai ab? Sab looit lelkai. Pota-poti sab bhooke aichh ( What will I do now? They have looted all the food. My grandchildren are hungry),’’ cried 70-year-old Buchia Devi.

Atlantic hurricanes and floods in India are reminders of the risks of ever more extreme weather linked to a changing climate