9 die due to cold weather conditions in UP

Cold weather conditions led to the death of nine persons in different parts of Uttar Pradesh as mercury dipped in many areas and moderate to dense fog shrouded vast swathes of the state.
Poor visibility due to dense fog caused several accidents killing three persons in Siddhartnagar district, and two each in Hardoi and Lakhimpur Kheri districts, officials said today.
Meanwhile, an elderly man died of cold at Lauhrani in Siddhartnagar district yesterday, while another died near Shastri Chowk in Basti district, the officials said.
MeT officials here said dense fog occurred at most places over eastern Uttar Pradesh while isolated places in western region were covered by moderate fog.

According to reports from Siddhartnagar and Basti districts, the region has been experiencing dense fog and dip in temperature for the past couple of days but the district administration is yet to make adequate arrangements for the poor who are made to spend the night in the open.
Muzaffarnagar recorded the state's lowest temperature at 5.5 degrees Celsius, the MeT officials said.
Police said three farmers were killed when their tractor trolley overturned on Sirsiya-Machiya road near Dhanohar bridge in Siddhartnagar district while two others died in Sandila of Hardoi district where a tractor trolley was hit by a train at a railway crossing.

In Lakhimpur Kheri district, two persons -- a 16-year-old student and a woman teacher -- died in separate accidents this morning, police said, adding poor visibility due to dense fog led to these accidents.