A bitter, near-freezing cold has killed at least 14 homeless people in northern India since the new year began, AP quoted a government official as saying today. Two bodies were found near the railroad track in Banda, a town 175 miles (280 kilometers) southwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, said Surendra Srivastava, a state government spokesman. The other cold-related deaths were reported in Sultanpur, Jaunpur and Rae Bareli districts, Srivastava told The Associated Press. The deaths occurred as nighttime temperatures dipped to 39 Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) in New Delhi and other parts of northern India because of westerly winds, said the India Meteorological Department.
