QUETTA, Dec 14: The people of the provincial capital experienced the coldest night of the winter season as the mercury dropped to minus nine degrees Celsius on Sunday, bursting water pipelines and paralyzing life in the city.

The chilly Siberian winds blowing since Thursday night have hit the city and northern and southern Balochistan severely as the maximum temperature in Quetta was recorded at three degrees Celsius.

Flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad were cancelled for the second day due to poor visibility in the valley.

“The dust storm and cold wave lashing various parts of the province will persist for two or three days,” the local meteorological office forecast.