Severe cold in Uttarakhand leaves 24 dead

Lucknow: Intense cold wave conditions accompanied by snowfall have left 24 people dead in Uttarakhand, officials said Thursday.

Officials in the hill state of Uttarakhand said two people have died in Haldwani, three in Nainital, six in Bhimtal and Bageshwar areas, while nearly 13 died due to the inclement weather in the Kumaon region since Tuesday.

Snowfall was witnessed in Bageshwar and Almora, both districts on the foothills of Himalayas. These places have never experienced such weather in mid-December.

Almora, Pithoragarh and other regions in Kumaon are witnessing temperatures between 1 degrees Celsius and minus 4 degrees Celsius.

Icy winds from Uttarakhand swept through the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh; its capital city of Lucknow was the the coldest place as it recorded 6.6 degrees Celsius Wednesday, way below the normal.

The weatherman has forecast harsher days and said the mercury will drop further.