9 Dead After Cold Wave Sweeps Across South Nepal

Nepalese authorities have reported that severe cold weather has caused the deaths of at least nine people, on Sunday.

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According to Xinhua, six people died in the Saptari district and three in Rautahaton. Children and elderly people make up a large number of the casualties, Republica Newspaper reported.

Southern Nepal's Terai districts were swept with a cold wave which resulted in major disruptions across the region, effecting the closure of various academic institutions, media reports said.

"The unbearable cold could be the most probable reason for all of these deaths," Ranjit Kumar Jha, senior consultant at Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, said.

The Terai region borders India, where 18 trains were canceled, 13 rescheduled and another 49 experienced delays in the northern region, on Saturday.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport was plagued with low visibility issues. About 82 flights were delayed because of fog and 84 others due to "other reasons", a report from the airport stated.

"Due to poor visibility in fog at Delhi, Patna, Varanasi, Chandigarh and Lucknow some of our flights are affected," Jet Airways posted to their Twitter account.

SpiceJet also tweeted: "Due to bad weather at Delhi, all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. All passengers are requested to cross-check their flight status before leaving for the airport."

A cold wave occurs when the temperature falls significantly and rapidly over a 24-hour period.