LAHORE: Eighteen people were killed while 276 were injured in fog-related accidents across Punjab on Thursday. Out of the injured, 192 were admitted to hospitals while the remaining number of people were provided the first aid on the spot, says Rescue 1122.

A thick layer of fog deprived the people in the plains of the country of the much-needed sunshine during the day, keeping the mercury low and making it the coldest day of the season so far.

The upper and hilly parts of the country are already in the grip of the severe winter. The lowest minimum temperature, -8C, was recorded in Kalat.

The maximum temperature in almost all the cities in Punjab remained below 14C. Little difference from the temperature last night created chilly weather conditions, forcing the people to look for cozy corners indoors.

In fact, the freezing conditions, created by dense fog over the plains during the night continued to prevail during the day. The only difference was the dim daylight that helped the people travel on roads comparatively easily than the last night or early morning.

Low gas pressure and tripping of power supply associated with the cold, affected life equally at homes and workplaces.

In Lahore, the thick layer of fog completely intercepted the sunshine from reaching the cold battered people. This kept the maximum temperature to just 11.5C as against the minimum 7C last night. Wind was cold and 100 percent humidity in the morning and 94 percent in the evening kept pollutants hanging in the air, making one feel their impact strongly. Travel by motorcycles, the main source of transportation of millions of people, was real challenging, particularly for the elderly and children.

Police constables on duty on roads in view of enhanced security concerns were seen wearing jackets and caps to protect themselves.

The Lahore airport remained operative most of the time on Thursday. But there was no let-up against the delay in flights, again leading to protests by angry passengers, stranded at the airport.

Major trains too continued moving at a slow speed, reaching Lahore several hours behind their scheduled time.

Fog again began to develop over the plains of the province in the evening though the Met office expected a reduction in its intensity in the next 24 to 36 hours because of expected rain and snowfall over the upper parts of the country.