Three more die of cold

BIRGUNJ, Dec 17: As Tarai continues to reel under severe cold wave, two people have died in Rautahat district on Saturday due to cold while a little boy in Taplejung also succumbed to the chill.



Indumati Devi Sah, 70, of Hajmonia-5, and Jagdev Mahato, 60, of Mudwalwa died Saturday morning due to cold, according to Rautahat Police. [break]



Similarly, two-year-old Anjan Maden of Hangdewa, Taplejung died while sleeping, reports our correspondent Khagendra Adhikari. The toddler, whose mother was away from home, had apparently slept at night without blanket and mattresses under the open sky when his father had gone out to attend a wedding reception nearby.



With the deaths on Saturday, the cold has claimed total six lives in the past three days. Nanku Pandit, 58, of Pathrabudhram, and 40-year-old, ironically named, Pnuemonia Devi, of Santapur Dostana-3, had died of cold on Friday while Shyam Thakur, 45, of Parsa-6, and Upendra Jha, 55, of Dharmapur-3, had succumbed on Thursday.



Normal life in Rautahat, Bara, Parsa and other districts in mid-Tarai has been hit hard by the cold wave in the past week. Community schools in Rautahat have been shut down for one week and some private schools in the southern part of the district have also closed down. District Forest Office, Bara, on its part, has made arrangements of firewood at chowks for the benefit of common people.



Simra Airport has been non-functional for the past four days due to poor visibility while Narayani Sub-regional Hospital has seen a rapid rise in the number of patients coming with pneumonia and other cold-related problems.



Meanwhile, doctors have advised people to wear warm clothes and remain indoors if they can avoid going out.

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