Cold claims nine more lives in UP, toll reaches 116

Cold wave continued unabated in Uttar Pradesh as nine more persons succumbed to the chill in the state, taking the death toll this winter to 116.

Two persons each died in Deoria, Chandauli and Gazipur districts, followed by one each in Bijnor, Jhansi and Barabanki, officials said.

Najibabad was the coldest place in the state where the minimum temperature was recorded at 2.4 degrees, the Met office said, adding that maximum temperatures also remained below normal by 5 to 11 degrees over some parts of Western UP.

Night temperatures plummeted in most parts of the region, including Allahabad, Faizabad, Moradabad, Agra, Meerut Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Jhansi divisions.

They were below normal in Moradabad, Agra, Meerut Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly divisions, and was recorded normal in other divisions of the state.

Met forecast, cold wave, coupled with foggy conditions, will prevail over many parts of the state and the weather will remain mainly dry.

Very dense fog may also descend over some places, bringing the visibility down to 50 metres or less, it said.