Two people were killed and six sustained injuries due to fog-related accidents in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, officials said on Friday.
Dense fog was reported in various parts of the state on Friday as the visibility dropped to around 40 metres at several places. The state meteorological department said a thick blanket of fog is likely to engulf 30 districts of the state over the weekend.
The two separate accidents in Barabanki occurred on Thursday night due to reduced visibility caused by dense fog, police said.
Nitin (20) died as three motorcycles collided with each other near Budhwal Sugar Mill on Ramnagar Barabanki-Bahraich Highway on Friday afternoon, police said.
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Six others sustained injuries in the mishap and were admitted to hospital for treatment, they said.
In another accident, a 26-year-old labourer, Pappu, died after he was hit by a speeding motorcycle while returning home on his bicycle in the Ghunghter area on Thursday night.
In Gorakhpur, weather conditions changed dramatically on Friday morning with dense fog lowering visibility to as low as 20 metres and the minimum temperature dropping to 9 degrees Celsius.
Vehicles were seen moving crawling on the roads with their headlights on during the day. The impact of the poor visibility was also seen on movement of trains, buses, and flights, a senior official said.
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In Hapur, people were seen sitting in front of the bonfires even during the day.
Because of the prevailing cold, the authorities have set up 'rain baseras' for the poor and destitute and soon blankets will also be distributed among them, a senior official said.
The Met department said that Najibabad in Bijnor district was the coldest place in the state recording a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius.
According to a statement issued by the Met department on Friday, 30 districts, including Lucknow, will be affected by dense fog, especially at night and morning on Saturday and Sunday.
In view of the dense fog, the local district administration has started drives to prevent untoward incidents.
In Lucknow, police pasted reflective stickers on large vehicles, including trucks and tractor trolleys, in rural areas.
The traffic police in Bareilly, Barabanki, Moradabad, and Aligarh also launched a similar initiative.
Meanwhile, a dip in minimum temperature was also recorded across the state.
In the last 24 hours from 8 am on Thursday to 8 am on Friday, there was a significant decrease in the maximum temperatures in Ayodhya, Lucknow, Moradabad, and Meerut divisions of the state, the Met office said.
