A cold wave sweeping Bangladesh over the week sent temperatures plunging, killing nearly 100 people, mostly among the elderly and the young, officials said Sunday according to Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa. Sources in the Disaster Management Ministry said the northern Dinajpur and Rangpur regions, close to the Himalayan foothills, were facing the coldest winter in recent years with night temperatures plummeting to below six degree Celsius. Hospitals reported 12 more deaths on Sunday, boosting the toll from 86 to 98 ever since the icy winds from the north began blowing across the country on Wednesday worsening the current cold spell. Most of the victims were attacked by pneumonia, bronchitis and diarrhoea. "The near freezing conditions are likely to continue until the coming weekend when the chilled winds are expected to subside," said Samarendra Karmakar of the national weather office in the capital Dhaka. Fogs accompanying the cold weather partially crippled life and businesses as public transports were disrupted across the country.
