Indian capital hit by cold snap

The temperature in Delhi is usually about 7C this time of year

Temperatures in India's capital Delhi have plummeted to the lowest in 70 years amid a cold snap that has claimed more than 100 lives in northern areas.

A spokesman at the weather office told the BBC the temperature between 0500 and 0600 local time was 0.2C, the lowest since 1935.

Delhi's primary schools will close for three days from Monday.

Police said more than 100 of the 126 people who have died as a result of the cold lived in Uttar Pradesh state.

The weather office spokesman said cold conditions were likely to continue over the next few days although there could be a minor rise in temperatures.

Many people working outside in Delhi as well as passengers waiting at railway and bus stations could be seen sitting around bonfires to keep themselves warm.

Himalayan winds

Indian television showed pictures of a thin layer of ice on cars and in parks.

"I was so excited," a teenage girl told one channel. "This is the first time I have seen [frost]."

The lowest temperature recorded in Delhi, in 1935, was -0.6C.

A meteorological department official said: "The normal temperature at this time is 7C.

"This is unusual but we do not think it will fall further."

The cold snap is blamed on north-westerly winds from the Himalayas.

In addition to the deaths in Uttar Pradesh, officials say at least 18 have died in the northern state of Punjab and four in Haryana.