Cold snap grips Bangladesh, hits normal life

According to local Somoy TV report, as many as seven children have so far died in Bangladesh's southeastern Chittagong Hill tracts by the cold snap.

A thick blanket of fog accompanied by icy winds left people in the country shivering in the early hours on Sunday.

The severe cold wave sweeping through Bangladesh brought the normal life and businesses to suffer particularly in the country's northern region facing the Himalayan mountains.

Aftab Uddin, a senior meteorologist of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), told Xinhua that the country's lowest temperature on Sunday was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius in Jashore district, 164 km away from capital Dhaka.

He said the BMD recorded Dhaka's temperature at 13 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Sky over the capital and most parts of the country remained cloudy for the last couple of days while cars and buses are running by switching on headlights in daytime on many Dhaka streets.

Sunlight is completely absent in Dhaka and the country's northern districts due to dense fog.

In Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, hundreds of drifters, mainly street children and elderly people, have been facing hard time due to the cold spell.

Poor people in Dhaka are seen taking warm by firing woods on Sunday. Sickness is rampant among these poor people.

Temperatures will gradually warm back up slightly from Monday, said the meteorologist.

But he said there is a possibility of another major cold wave across the country at the end of this month followed by light to moderate rain or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty wind, over the next couple of days.

However, the chill in the air has sent people rushing for woolen clothes in different Dhaka markets and streets.

Sales of warm clothes, including blanket, sweater, blazer, shawl, caps and socks, have been witnessing a sharp increase since Thursday when Dhaka dwellers experienced sudden temperature fall.