Cold grips South Asia

Many in the region live without shelter or warm clothing

Cold weather is being blamed for hundreds of deaths in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Temperatures have fallen below zero as biting winds sweep down from the Himalayas and heavy fog hangs over much of the region.

Most of the people who died were pavement dwellers who sleep under trees or under the open skies. Often, they cannot afford any woollens

Government official, Uttar Pradesh

Each year, cold weather at this time of year claims casualties in a region where millions live without power, shelter or warm clothing.

But this year weather officials say the cold is especially severe as daytime fog and clouds are blocking out the sun.

Officials stress cold weather cannot be blamed for all the deaths, many of which are caused by old age or illness.

Disruption

In Chiru in the north Indian state of Rajasthan the temperature fell to -1.1C on Saturday.

In Bangladesh, according to Samarendra Karmakar, Deputy Director of the Storm Warning Centre at the country's Meteorological Centre, temperatures have fallen as low as 5.1C.

Farmers have been struggling to cope

He told BBC News Online that the cold spell would last for another few days and then the temperature would rise slowly. But he warns that another period of cold is expected next month.

In the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar schools have been closed for the past week and are expected to remain closed for several days.

Many flights and trains have also been cancelled or delayed, and farming has been disrupted.

Casualties

There are no official estimates for the number of cold-related deaths.

In Bangladesh, the worst hit by the cold weather, reports suggest as many as 500 people could have died.

The cold is forecast to last another few days

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia toured parts of the capital, Dhaka, to distribute warm clothing and blankets to the homeless on Sunday night.

State-run radio in Nepal said on Monday that 41 people had been confirmed dead in the regions bordering the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

But according to our correspondent in Nepal, unofficial reports say up to 60 people - most of them children and the elderly - have died.

A government official in Uttar Pradesh told Reuters: "Most of the people who died were pavement dwellers who sleep under trees or under the open skies. Often, they cannot afford any woollens."