Cold wave has claimed at least 18 lives in southern Nepal's Terai region over the past few days, with 12 people having died in the last two days alone.
According to Monday's eKantipur.com report, most of the victims were the elderly and children.
Life in the Terai has been hugely affected due to the persistent cold weather and dense fog. Many districts have not seen the sun for the last few days. Due to excessive cold, many schools have been closed in districts in the region.
Many Terai districts have come under the grip of cold-related diseases like pneumonia, cold, diarrhea and respiratory problems.
Patients suffering from cold-related maladies, especially the elderly and children, have overwhelmed hospitals and other health centers.
These days, people in many Terai districts can be seen huddled together around a fire on the roadside and in town centers to beat the extremely cold weather. Homeless families, vagrants and street children have been badly hit.
Airports in the region have also been affected due to the weather condition. Dense fog has led to cancellation of many flights. Both inbound and outbound flights at the Ranja Airport in Nepalgunj of Banke district have been closed since Sunday.
The Biratnagar Airport in Morang district that was closed since Saturday due to bad weather, briefly resumed its Biratnagar- Kathmandu flights on Monday afternoon with the help of Precision Approach Path Indicator. All flights to and from the eastern hill districts stayed canceled for the fourth consecutive day.