Harsh winters: Fog-related incidents kill 19

Eight dead in traffic accidents in Faisalabad and three each in Sibbi and Chiniot.

The current spell of fog and cold weather claimed around 19 lives on Monday, besides disrupting rail, road and air traffic across the country.

In fog-related traffic accidents, eight people died in Faisalabad, one person in Shorkot and three people in Sibbi, after a car collided with a truck.

In Chiniot, three people including two brothers were killed and 15 others sustained serious injuries in a pile-up accident, a news agency reported.

The extreme cold also killed four children, from four months to six years of age, in a relief camp in Thatta.

In various cities of Punjab, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Mangla, Sahiwal and Rahim Yar Khan, visibility was reduced to 50 metres and humidity 100 per cent.

At the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, at least nine flights were delayed, while one domestic flight was cancelled. Trains’ schedule was also affected by the fog as up-country and down-country trains were late by three to 12 hours.

The meteorological department said the fog would continue for the next few days. A fresh western wave is likely to affect upper parts of the country from Wednesday, the department said.

Motorways M1, M2 and M3 as well as National Highway N5 will remain under dense fog in the coming days, the weather forecast added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2011.