North India reels under cold wave, 30 dead so far

New Delhi, Jan 3 (ANI): Cold wave continues to have North India in its grip with the death toll rising to 30, as temperature have dropped drastically in many areas.

Five more deaths were reported across Uttar Pradesh as the mercury dipped due to rains at some places.

While a 70-year-old man and a two-year-old boy died in Bahraich and Farukkhabad districts respectively, one death each was reported from Sitapur, Mahoba and Chitrakoot in the last 24 hours.

Seven deaths were reported from Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Delhi shivered on yet another cold morning as the maximum dropped to 14.6 degree Celsius, six degrees below normal for this period of time, while minimum was recorded at 7.8 degrees, one degree above normal.

The cold wave has also intensified in Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Pahalgam in south Kashmir, where mercury plunged 12 degrees below freezing point.

Qazigund, the gateway town to the Kashmir Valley, was freezing at minus 7.4 degree Celsius, while Kokernag town in Anantnag district recorded a night temperature of minus six degree Celsius.

Srinagar is expected to see the mercury dip below freezing point to minus four degrees today.

In Himachal Pradesh too there was no respite from the cold as the temperature in Shimla dropped to minus six degrees.

Residents of Amritsar and the rest of Punjab shivered too with the cold wave intensifying. The mercury went down to three degrees in Amritsar with Chandigarh slightly warmer at six degrees.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang and Ziro witnessed extremely cold conditions even though the minimum temperatures settled a few notches above normal.

Meanwhile, the hill station Mount Abu in Rajasthan shivered as the mercury plunged below the minus mark.

The temperature in the region recorded temperature of minus 3.4 degree Celsius. (ANI)