LAHORE: Dense fog in and around the Punjab capital has badly disrupted air and land travel, with dozens of flights being cancelled, delayed or diverted to other cities for the second day.

Train and road travel in and out of Lahore and many other parts of the Punjab was also affected as visibility for several hours during the day remained at almost zero level.

A PIA spokesman confirmed that the national flag carrier alone had to cancel eight domestic flights, with another 12 being delayed. A number of domestic and international flights coming into Lahore had to be diverted to Islamabad and Karachi.

The flights that were cancelled included Dubai-bound PK 203 and PK 204, PK 656 for Islamabad, PK 649, and Skardu-bound flights from Lahore. The flight PK 744 coming from Madina was diverted to Karachi and PK 562 from Karachi and Sukkur was sent to Islamabad.

The spokesman said due to persistent bad weather conditions and with no clear indication from the Met Office about improvement in the situation, the intended travellers were being advised to check with the airline or airport services to avoid any inconvenience.The fog brought temperatures down almost all over the country and intensified the chill suddenly on Tuesday. The maximum temperature in Lahore was 16.5 degrees C and minimum 7 degrees on Monday-Tuesday night.

Several people lost their lives or suffered injuries during travel on roads as fog continued to reduce visibility and lower temperatures.

The motorway and the national highway remained fog-bound as were the roads and streets in almost all cities of Punjab.

A large number of passengers faced difficulties at the airports as fog disrupted flights.

Passengers quarrelled with the PIA and airport security staff after a Dammam-bound flight was cancelled.

The Motorway and National Highway Authority has guided people to travel safely on roads. It advised passengers to travel from 10 am to 6pm only and check the road position by dialling 130 before travelling.

At the same time motorway authorities at the Lahore exit points have been advising commuters to avoid travelling during the period when heavy fog reduces visibility to a dangerous level.

Drivers have been advised to keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead, not to use mobile telephone or listen to radio or music while driving, use fog lights, avoid changing lanes and keep the windows of their vehicles slightly opened to hear outside sound in poor visibility.

People have been urged to fix light reflectors on bicycles and tractor-trolleys.