The Hindu : 11 die as rain persists in North

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 20, 2003

National

National

11 die as rain persists in North

NEW DELHI FEB. 19. Himachal Pradesh continued to be under grip of intense cold today with mid and higher hills experiencing heavy snowfall even as rain and hailstorm lashed Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Haryana claiming 11 lives.

Seven persons, including five members of a family were killed when the roof of their house collapsed due to hailstrom and squall in Nangal Salala village in Adampur near Jalandhar.

Normal life was thrown out of gear as rain and hailstrom lashed the region. Amristar with 83.4 mm was the wettest place in the plains of Punjab. Chandiagarh received 16.2 mm rain.

Rain also lashed Ambala, Hissar, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Sonepat in Haryana and Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Patiala in Punjab.

our persons were killed and an equal number injured in house collapses in Jammu and Kashmir as rains and snow played havoc in different parts of the State.

The 320-km Hindustan-Tibet national highway was blocked following heavy snowfall beyond Sanjauli and interior areas of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi was cut off from the rest of the State.

Shimla town which received 30 cm of fresh snow groaned under severe cold wave with the maximum temperature dipping to 1.7 degrees Celsius and the minimum staying two degrees below the freezing point.

The five-km stretch between Kufri and Fagu on Hindustan-Tibet national highway covered under 90 cm of snow, looked like a white lake while Narkand and Khara-Pattar received over 120 cm of snow.

All flights were cancelled and normal life was paralysed in upper areas of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi and Sirmaur districts.

The mighty Rohtang Pass, sprawling Dhauladhar hills, Churdhar and Churchandani mountain ranges, Kunzam, Saach and Chansel passes and higher reaches in Chamba district also experienced heavy snowfall.

Lower areas of Solan, Sirmaur, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi and Chamba were lashed by widespread rain accompanied by high velocity icy winds. Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Kullu, Chamba, Kangra, Balh and Paonta valleys as fresh snow and rain caused a sharp fall in mercury.

In Uttaranchal, the season's heaviest snowfall was recorded in the higher reaches of Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas while several areas of the State were lashed by moderate to heavy rain coupled with hailstorm and squall bringing mercury down to freezing point.

Kameth, Dronagiri, Trishul, Nandadevi, Chaukhamba, Joshi Math, Badrinath and Kedarnath received the season's heaviest snow spreading a white sheet of snow over roads and houses.

Mussoorie, Dehra Dun and Naini Tal were lashed by heavy rain accompanied by hailstorm creating cold wave conditions and forcing people to stay indoors.--PTI

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