Two killed in landslide, Shimla witnesses coldest night of season

Shimla, Jan 20 (UNI) The death toll in Himachal Pradesh due to extreme cold conditions has risen to 10 as two people were killed while clearing snow in Kinnuar district, the Met and official sources said here today.

Two labourers were buried alive in a landslide in two separate incidents in the district while clearing snow at Tapri and Pangi Nullah yesterday, official sources told UNI here.

The dead have been identified as Paras Ram and Shering Ghatu, they said.

The sources said so far 10 people have died due to cold weather conditions prevailing in the hill state.

Meanwhile, Shimla town today recorded the coldest night of this winter season at zero degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature at Patseio in Lahaul Spiti plummeted to minus 18.5 degrees Celsius, the met office said.

It said overcast conditions in the day and a clear sky during the night has plummeted the minimum temperature in the state capital to zero degree from yesterday's low of point four degrees.

The night temperature at Patseio fell to minus 18.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest of the season, while Kalpa in Kinnuar district and Dhundi in Kullu district recorded night temperatures of minus 8.2 and minus 11 degrees respectively.

Bhang Manali and Solang Nullah also recorded sub-zero temperatures of minus four degrees each, the Met office said.

It said isolated places in the mid and lower hills of the state also recorded mild snowfall during the last 24 hrs with Bhang Manali experiencing nine cm of fresh snow, Dhundi 17 cm, Patseio one cm and Kalpa three cm.

The sky was partially overcast in the state capital in the morning before thick clouds covered it and dense fog engulfed it during the second half of the day and evening, forcing drivers to turn on their fog lights.

Sundernagar, Bhuntar and Una also recorded a fall in the night temperatures, which stood at 3.3, 0.6 and 0.5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperatures at Shimla rose marginally to 7.2 degrees.

Kinnuar legislator Tejwant Singh Negi told UNI here that the HP State Electricity Board employees were trying to restore power supply to the villages where lines had been snapped due to heavy snowfall in the last few days.

He also urged the employees not to put their lives at risk while carrying out the restoration work.

UNI XC AS JN SP MSJ BD1905