North India Cold Wave Kills 26

BY P.VIJIAN NEW DELHI, Dec 189 (Bernama) -- Twenty-six people died in the last 24 hours as a cold wave swept across north India, signalling the arrival of the harsh Indian winter. Most of the deaths were in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where the temperature plummeted to nearly two degrees Celsius, reported All India Radio. The states of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in India's northern belt suffered freezing temperatures as well. And, it was a chilly Sunday in Delhi as well as the mercury fell to five degrees Celsius. According to the Indian Metrological Department, the cold wave gripped the scenic Kashmir valley and the famous skiing resort in Gulmarg recorded minus 7.4 degrees Celsius Sunday. In far-flung Leh, in mountainous Ladakh region, it was minus nine degrees Celsius. Biting cold weather forced schools in both the Kashmir and Leh regions to be shut earlier than usual this year and land routes were closed due to heavy snowfall. Thick fog, common during December and January, the two coldest months of winter in the northern part of India, also affected rail services and flights in certain states. -- BERNAMA