Cold claims 18 in Bihar, 30 in Uttar Pradesh

The prevailing intense cold wave has claimed 11 more lives in Bihar, taking the total number of deaths in the state due to inclement weather to 18, an official said Thursday.

"The inclement weather claimed 11 more lives within a span of 24 hours, taking the death toll to 18 in the state," an official of the state disaster management department here said.

The official added that five people died in Saran district, three in Nawada and one each in Vaishali, Begusarai and Jehanabad districts.

Earlier, the cold wave had claimed four lives in Muzaffarpur district and one each in Gaya, Patna and Chapra.

A.K. Sen, a Met department official here, said the chilling north-westerly winds were sweeping through the state. "The icy winds will continue to blow over the state for another 48 hours," Sen said.

Thursday's minimum temperature in Bihar was recorded in Gaya district at 4.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average, while the minimum temperature in the state capital Patna was eight degrees Celsius, Sen said.

Air and rail services were also facing disruption due to the thick fog across the state with several flights delayed and long-distance trains running late.
The cold wave sweeping through Uttar Pradesh has claimed more than 30 lives in a 24-hour span, officials here said Thursday.

The maximum number of deaths, between Wednesday and Thursday morning, were reported from Bhadohi district where five people succumbed to the cold.

As many as four people died in Balia and three each in Allahabad, Mirzapur, Sonebhadra, Ghazipur, Barabanki, Chandauli and Azamgarh districts. Shrawasti and Mau districts have reported one deaths each, a state government official said.

The mercury dropped below four degrees Celsius in most parts of the state even as the day temperatures plummeted below 10 degrees Celsius. Although the thick fog cover has receded in some regions, cold winds continued to add to the troubles of the people.

The Met Office in the state capital Lucknow does not see any respite from the cold weather conditions in coming days. A weather official said the dense fog in the state would make things "far more difficult" in the next few days.

Although the state government has made arrangements of shelter homes and bonfires for the poor and the homeless, 37 people perished after the cold wave conditions set in across the state last week.

The thick fog cover has also hit the rail and air traffic in the state. Many trains were running behind schedule, especially those coming from Punjab, Bihar and Delhi, a railways official said.