Cold wave continued to sweep across plains of northern Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh, claiming eight more lives since Sunday night and taking the death
toll in this season to 43 in the state, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported
Monday.
Mercury dipped to two degrees Celsius in Sultanpur, the lowest this season
while the biting cold winds swept large areas, said PTI.
Four people died of cold in Pratapgarh, two in Mahoba and one each in Basti
and Faizabad, said the report.
The minimum temperature plummeted to 4.5 degrees in Varanasi which was about
five degrees below normal as thick fog paralyzed normal life by affecting the
air, train and road traffic.
The state government has already directed district administrations to take
all necessary steps for lighting bonfires and setting up temporary shelters for
the homeless and poor.
Hundreds of homeless people die every year for lack of warm clothes or
blankets.
