Deadly cold kills 41 in north, it’s -15.8 in Kargil (Intro Roundup)

NEW DELHI - Temperatures plummeted to a freezing -15.8 degrees Celsius in Kargil Monday as a bone-chilling cold wave gripped northern and parts of eastern India leaving about 41 people dead since the weekend.

There will be no let up in the situation in the coming days, officials warned, as icy winds and intermittent showers affected normal life across the populous region.

Jammu and Kashmir was spared of snow Monday but the tourist resort of Manali in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh got four to five inches of snow — a veritable treat for snow-hungry visitors. The vital Jammu-Srinagar highway was open, but vehicles crawled on account of slippery conditions.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar was 0 degrees and the maximum 7.6 degrees Celsius. Temperature in Kargil, in northern Kashmir and bordering Pakistan, fell to -15.8 degrees. The maximum temperature was -5.

Kothi, Marhi, Gulaba and the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh experienced moderate to heavy snowfall in the past 24 hours.

The fog lifted in the national capital but the biting wind ensured that the citizens got no respite. Millions in Delhi and other states were seen wrapped in layers of woollens and leather.

The cold has claimed at least 30 lives in Uttar Pradesh and 11 in Bihar since Saturday, officials said.

Mirzapur and Ballia districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh reported five deaths each Sunday, the disaster management department in Lucknow told IANS. Other deaths took place in Banda, Fatehpur, Sonbhadra, Chanduali, Kanpur rural (Dehat) and Unnao districts.

Bihar has been hit hard by a cold wave and icy winds for some days. Officials said seven people died in Farbisganj in Araria district, two in Sheikhpura and one each in Purnea and Darbhanga.

Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh reeled under cold wave conditions Monday and many areas saw intermittent rainfall as well. Amritsar was the coldest city in this region with a minimum of 0.8 degrees Celsius.

In many places of Orissa, minimum temperatures fell below 8 degrees — Bhabanipatna (6.7), Sundergarh (7.9), Sambalpur (6.8) and Bolangir (7.8).

Delhiites woke up to a relatively clear Monday. Meteorological officials attributed this to the light showers the capital had Sunday. But the chill persisted, with a cold breeze adding to it.

“The heavy fog has lifted mainly because of the rain yesterday (Sunday),” an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. But he warned that the fog will return.

The maximum temperature in Delhi dropped to 14 degrees Celsius.

“The chilly condition will continue in the capital for a few days. The snowfall in the Kashmir Valley and Himachal Pradesh is behind the chilling wind in the city,” the official told IANS.