Minus 20 degrees in Drass; Kargil and Kashmir also cold

Srinagar, Jan 13 (UNI) Drass, the coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded minus 20.5 degrees Celsius this morning, while people in Kashmir and Kargil also experienced severe cold, disrupting normal life.

Meanwhile, two AN-32 flights operated today between Srinagar and Kargil for stranded passengers as earlier flights were cancelled due to heavy snowfall last week.

A UNI report from Kargil said people in Drass continued to shiver in cold as the night temperature dipped to minus 20.5 degrees this morning. However, in some far flung and remote villages the temperature was minus 25 degrees.

The day also remained cold after the maximum temperature was recorded at minus 2.5 degrees.

The nearby Kargil town also experienced its coldest night after the minimum temperature dipped to minus 17.5 degrees and maximum minus 1.5 degrees.

A number of water bodies in Drass and Kargil have already frozen because of minus temperature, disrupting normal life.

The reports said two fights operated for the first time between Kargil and Srinagar after heavy snowfall last week.

About 82 passengers from Kargil were taken to Srinagar it said and 96 were brought to Kargil.

However, 55 passengers including 40 with confirm tickets are still waiting at Kargil after the first flight of this winter for Jammu was cancelled on Monday last due to snowfall.

After almost normal night temperature, people in Kashmir again witnessed minus 3.4 degrees, about two degrees below normal.

However, the coldest night of the season in the valley was experienced in the first week of this month when the temperature dipped to minus 7.5 degrees, freezing parts of the world famous Dal Lake and other water bodies besides taps.

UNI BAS PB BST1807