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125 dead in India cold wave

Tuesday, January 05, 2010
NEW DELHI: With temperatures dipping below normal and snowfall witnessed in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh and the Kashmir valley, the normal life was disturbed for the fourth consecutive day and over 125 deaths were reported from across the country.

Around 40 deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh during the last twenty-four hours. Eight people died in Bihar and two deaths were reported from Haryana.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered all schools to be closed for three days from today in view of the cold.

In Punjab, all schools have been closed till January 8 due to cold.

The officials of the Meteorological department said that the cold waves have swept Himachal Pradesh due to heavy snowfall in the upper reaches.

In Uttarakhand, rains and snowfall intensified the cold conditions affecting normal life.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.6 degree Celsius, while morning mist reduced visibility to 1,000 meters, but there was no disruption in flight operations at the Indira Gandhi airport.

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