Intense cold wave continued unabated in north India as fog-related incidents claimed eight lives in Uttar Pradesh and disrupting traffic movement in several parts of the region yesterday.
Chilly weather prevailed in the national capital with the minimum temperature touching 7.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal.
Cold wave intensified its grip in different parts of Uttar Pradesh with mercury dipping to sub-zero levels and claiming eight lives while dense fog threw transport systems out of gear in most areas. Six persons were killed and 34 others injured when a truck fell into a canal in Kadura area of Jalaun district amidst dense fog.
Two deaths were reported in an accident in Kushinagar due to poor visibility. Though weather was dry over the state, fog occurred at most places adversely hitting air, train and road traffic. Lowest minimum temperature in the state was 3 degrees Celsius recorded at Nazibabad, Bijnore.
Mercury dipped further in Srinagar to record the season's lowest temperature on the eve of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period. Met office said, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius. Leh continued to be the coldest place in the state with minimum temperature at minus 13.9 degrees Celsius, as Kargil, also in Ladakh region, recorded a low of minus 13 degrees Celsius.
In Himachal Pradesh, biting cold conditions continued without any respite even as the region had a clear day. The state started limping back to normalcy with partial restoration of water and power supply in Kullu and Manali after seven days. The National Highway from Manali to Rohtang Pass is closed, while all major roads have been opened. The high altitude tribal areas continued to reel under piercing cold wave with mercury staying well below the freezing point.
Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Punjab and Haryana throwing normal life out of gear. All flight operations at Chandigarh airport was cancelled due to dense fog which reduced visibility levels. Many trains, including Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdi, Tata- Muri, Paschim Express ran hours behind schedule. Dense fog engulfed almost all major cities of the region, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala in Punjab and Hisar, Karnal and Ambala in Haryana.
