Cold wave intensified its grip in different parts of Uttar Pradesh with mercury dipping to sub-zero levels and snuffing out eight lives while dense fog threw transport systems out of gear in most areas.
While six persons were killed and 34 others injured when a truck fell into a canal in Kadura area amidst dense fog, two deaths were reported in an accident in Kushinagar due to poor visibility. Though weather was dry over the state, fog occurred at most places adversely hitting air, train and vehicular traffic. Cold weather conditions prevailed at few places over western UP and isolated places over eastern UP, a MeT official said. Night temperatures fell in Moradabad division. They were appreciably below normal in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, below normal in Allahabad and Lucknow divisions.
Lowest minimum temperature over the state was 3.0 degree Celsius recorded at Nazibabad(Bijnore). Industrial town Kanpur recorded a minimum of 8.3 degrees Celsius and maximum at 24.5 degrees Celsius last night.
The weatherman has predicted that dense fog would occur at a few places on December 20 and 21 and cold conditions would prevail at isolated places. The district authorities across the state have started setting up "rain baseras' for the shelterless and are providing wood for bonfires to the underprivileged.
