Cold wave tightened its grip over most parts of North India; death toll touches 11

NEW DELHI: Cold wave tightened its grip over most parts of North India claiming six more lives in the region, which wore a blanket of fog this morning disrupting normal life.

Five more persons were killed in Uttar Pradesh, taking toll during the last two days to 10 in the state, while one person died due to chill in Jammu and Kashmir.

Total number of deaths in UP due to cold conditions in the past three days touched ten today.

In Jammu, a beggar died due to cold condition in Samba district.

In the national capital, a blanket of fog reduced visibility while the minimum temperature was recorded 7.7 deg C, meteorological department said, forecasting a foggy morning for tomorrow. Maximum was recorded at 19.1 deg C, three notches below normal.

In Uttar Pradesh, two persons lost their lives in Bahraich district while one each was killed in Gonda, Kannauj and Farrukhabad since yesterday.

Maximum temperatures were below normal by 5 to 13 deg C in parts of the state.

Muzaffarnagar continued to be coldest in the state with a minimum temperature of 2 deg C.

Bihar was also hit by cold wave and thick fog, disrupting rail and air services. A number of trains, including the Delhi-Patna Rajdhani Express, was late by several hours, Railways officials said.

Landing and take off of commercial flights at Patna airport were affected due to poor visibility, airport director said.

Cold wave conditions prevailed in Odisha and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh.