Killer cold wave leaves 33 dead in Uttar Pradesh

Srinagar, Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 33 people have died in the last 48 hours as intense cold conditions continued in most parts of the state. While six persons died in Mirzapur, five deaths each were reported from Ballia and Banda, two each from Sonbhadra, Hamirpur, Fatehpur and Chandauli, four from Kanpur dehat and one each fron Farukkhabad and Unnao.

Seventy four people have died so far due to the cold this season. In Lucknow, the temperatures are 7 degrees below normal. In neighbouring Bihar too it's the same story. The worst affected are the poor homeless on the streets with no warm clothing.

Shahjahanpur, which recorded a minimum temperature of 2.5 degree celsius on Sunday morning, was the coldest place in the state, followed by Bareilly at five degrees, two notches below normal, the Met department said. State capital Lucknow recorded a minimum of 8.6 degrees.

The Uttar Pradesh has government extended winter vacations for junior schools in the wake of extreme cold weather.  (Watch: UP extends winter vacation for schools)

Meanwhile, heavy fog also disrupted air and rail traffic at a number of places and several trains were running behind schedule.

On Saturday, 10 people were killed in three train accidents in Uttar Pradesh due to poor visibility. Dense fog played havoc with life in north India, disrupting air and rail traffic and a power break down as the northern grid tripped. (In pics: Fog chaos on Saturday)

Breaking a nearly two-month-long dry spell, Srinagar and adjoiningareas received snowfall starting 11 am on Sunday as North Indiashivered under a cold wave. Normal life came to a standstill in Kashmirwith travel services and electricity affected. (Watch: Snowfall in Srinagar | In pics: Cold wave in North India)

Hundredsof vehicles are stranded on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, after it wasclosed for traffic due to heavy snowfall on Sunday.

Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and parts of Jammu and Kashmir reeled under a power crisis as the northern grid tripped around 3 am following a technical problem in the transmission lines triggered by the fog and cold conditions.

On Monday, Delhi recorded the coldest day in the last five years at a max temp of 14 degrees Celsius which is 7 degrees below normal.

For the first time this season, air traffic in Delhi suffered severe disruption in flight schedules involving several domestic and international flights. Air operations at IGI airport in New Delhi remained normal on Sunday due to a clear sky, a day after dense fog played havoc leading to delay and cancellation of several flights. But airlines were finding it difficult to maintain the schedule, which went haywire on Saturday.

(With PTI inputs)