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North India in grip of cold spell; 52 die
North India in grip of cold spell; 52 die
Agencies/New Delhi
At least 52 people have died in India in recent days during a spell of cold weather, authorities said yesterday. |
People in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as well as the capital New Delhi were the most affected, they said.
The minimum temperature in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow went down to 3.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night.
Snowfall in many parts of neighbouring Uttarakhand added to the winter chill.
Thick fog caused delays to numerous flights and trains.
An official of the Northern Railway said at least 57 trains coming to Delhi were running late, while eight departing from the capital were rescheduled due to the fog. Four trains have been cancelled, the official added.
Gaya in Bihar recorded the coldest temperature with mercury dipping to 4.2 degrees.
Icy winds and cloudy skies were compounding the problem, a weather official said. A blanket of dense fog engulfed the state. Flights at Patna airport were rescheduled due to poor visibility in the morning.
Cold wave conditions also continued to prevail in Rajasthan.
Mount Abu, the only hill station in the desert state, recorded 4 degrees Celsius.
The state capital Jaipur recorded 6.6 degrees, one degree below average.
“Both minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to fall further in next 24-48 hours. Ground frost would also occur in some of the places in north Rajasthan while dense fog is also likely to occur in some of the areas of the state,” a weather department official said.