25 December 2004	Saturday	12 Ziqa'ad 1425

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: A cold spell across northern India claimed the lives of 11 people in Uttar Pradesh state, reports said Friday, taking the death toll to 27 since the start of the month.

The Press Trust of India said six of the deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia and Mau areas, one of the worst hit by the cold spell. State authorities are setting up makeshift shelters for the poor and lighting bonfires, with the temperature dropping to seven degrees Celsius (45 F) in some places.

A thick blanket of fog also descended over much of northern India, throwing road, rail and air traffic into trouble. At least four New Delhi-bound international flights were diverted to other northern cities overnight while many early morning domestic flights were delayed by several hours, airport officials said.

Many overnight trains were delayed by several hours and some were cancelled, the Press Trust of India reported. On the streets of the national capital, drivers switched on their headlights to negotiate fog which only started to clear after 9:00 am.

"We are expecting these conditions to remain for the next few days," an official at the meteorological department said. Smog is common over New Delhi and northern India for lengthy periods between December and February as pollution combines with fog. -AFP