Cold wave in north India: J-K's Sonamarg freezes at minus 8.9 degrees, light snowfall in Himachal
New Delhi (PTI): Cold wave conditions prevailed in the northern parts of the country, with the minimum temperatures plunging across Kashmir and Punjab's Amritsar shivering at a low of 1.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Two men, including a truck driver, were burned to death following a multi-vehicle pileup on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Haryana's Nuh on Sunday morning amid dense fog, police said. The accident caused a long traffic jam and severely disrupted traffic on the expressway, they said.
In Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, a pile-up involving at least 20 vehicles on the Delhi-Lucknow National Highway amid dense fog on Sunday morning left a person dead and at least 24 injured, police said.
Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir was the coldest place in the valley, recording a low of minus 8.9 degrees Celsius, officials said on Sunday. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.7 degrees Celsius.
The meteorological department has forecast spells of wet weather, especially in the higher reaches of the valley over the next few days.
Shopian in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius.
The higher hills of Himachal Pradesh saw light snowfall at isolated places. The Shimla meteorological office stated that light snowfall occurred in Lahaul and Spiti district's Koksar and Hansa villages, while the weather remained dry in most parts of the state.
Cold wave was also witnessed in Hamirpur, Una and Mandi, which recorded 2.1, 2.7 and 3.9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The weather office has also predicted that light snowfall will continue to occur in the higher reaches of the state till January 20, while the weather in the rest of the state will continue to remain dry.
Amritsar, which recorded the lowest temperature in Punjab, shivered at a low of 1.7 degrees Celsius as biting cold intensified in parts of the state and neighbouring Haryana.
In Hoshiarpur, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.4 degrees Celsius.
Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, also experienced a cold night at 5.5 degrees, two notches below normal.
Patiala and Faridkot in Punjab recorded identical minimum temperatures of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana recorded a low of 6.4 degrees Celsius, Gurdaspur 5.8 degrees Celsius, while Bathinda registered a minimum of 7 degrees Celsius.
Delhi was enveloped by a dense fog on Sunday morning, with the minimum temperature settling at 5.3 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below the season's average.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also placed the city under a 'yellow alert', warning of dense fog at many isolated places till forenoon.
Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius, Palam 8 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road 6.8 degrees Celsius, the Ridge 7.2 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 7 degrees Celsius, the IMD data showed.
In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius, while Gurugram's minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius. Ambala recorded a low of 6.8 degrees, while Rohtak saw its minimum temperature drop to 7 degrees Celsius.
Cold wave conditions also gripped parts of Jharkhand, as the mercury dipped below 10 degrees Celsius in 11 districts, the IMD said.
Gumla recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 3.1 degrees Celsius, followed by Khunti at 3.9 degrees Celsius, and Palamu at 4.7 degrees Celsius, it said.
State capital Ranchi registered a minimum temperature of 6.6 degrees Celsius, Chaibasa 8.2 degrees Celsius and Jamshedpur 9.6 degrees Celsius, the IMD said in a bulletin.
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Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 15 dead, forcing thousands to flee
Penco (Chile) (AP): Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 15 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 kilometres south of Santiago, the capital.
The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
“All resources are available,” Boric wrote on X.
But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere.
“Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38 C (100 F).
Residents said that the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes.
“Many people didn't evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzman, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it."
Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported 253 homes destroyed.
“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, also in Penco. The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church.
Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well," said Víctor Burboa, 54. "Everyone here knew them.”
