Cold claims 22 lives in North

Intense cold claimed 22 lives in North India on Friday as temperatures plummeted to sub-zero levels at many places in the region.

The capital Delhi recorded the season's lowest minimum of 2.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature recorded in the city was 15.7 degrees Celsius.

Seven people were killed due to the cold in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh where the mercury dipped three notches below normal in most places.

While five persons lost their lives in Bathinda district of Punjab due to the cold wave, two were killed in Fatehabad district of Haryana in the past 24 hours. Chandigarh with a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the ongoing winter season, the MeT office said here.

Intense cold tightened its grip across Kashmir Valley as minimum temperatures plunged further with summer capital Srinagar witnessing the coldest night of the season at minus 4.3 degrees Celsius.
Two persons, including a police constable, died here due to the severe cold wave conditions prevailing in Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh.