Over 200 dead in India's cold snap

Sun, 10 Jan 2010

New Delhi - At least 239 people have died as bitterly cold weather has swept across northern and eastern India over the past week, news reports said Sunday. More than 15 people died Saturday night in northern Uttar Pradesh state, NDTV news channel reported.

In national capital Delhi, the minimum temperature rose marginally to nine degrees centigrade whilst the maximum stood at 12 degrees, the lowest in five years.

Most victims were either the elderly or the poor, who have inadequate shelter and warm clothing.

Dense fog over many parts of northern India continued to disrupt train and air services and affected road traffic.

India's meteorological department said the cold weather conditions were due to western disturbances that led to snowfall in the hill states and upper regions of the Himalayas.

The department said the cold wave was likely to continue for another one to two days.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302928,over-200-dead-in-indias-cold-snap.html.