More than 100 people have died during a two-week cold spell across India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, as neighbouring New Delhi recorded its coldest day for 44 years, dpa cited news reports as saying Thursday. A total of 107 people have died in Uttar Pradesh, including 15 reported Wednesday from the towns of Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Agra, Bulandshahr and Etah on Wednesday, the Times of India daily said. Muzaffarnagar was the coldest in the state with the mercury dipping to 0.6 degrees Celsius. Officials from the state's disaster relief department denied that the deaths were due to the cold snap, but reports said many homeless and poor had died from exposure. Some people also died in road accidents due to fog. Temperatures in New Delhi dropped to 9.8 degrees Celsius Wednesday, 11 degrees below the average for January, in the city's coldest day since 1969, the Indian Meteorological Department said. Dense fog disrupted air and rail traffic across northern India. At least 30 flights were delayed and seven cancelled from Delhi airport and several trains in the region were running behind schedule.
