Chandigarh, Dec 18: Dense fog which engulfed most parts of Punjab and Haryana claimed four lives and disrupted rail and air traffic in North India even as people got little respite from the intense chilly weather which have gripped the region for the past week. Four persons were killed when their vehicle fell into a canal while crossing a narrow bridge near Kurukshetra in Haryana, apparently due to poor visibility.

Amritsar at five degree celsius recorded the lowest temperature in the northern plains, a met office spokesman said here.

Foggy conditions coupled with cloudy weather resulted in dip in temperature by a few degrees in most parts of the region, he said.

Several north-bound trains, including Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabadi Express, Himalayan Queen and Bhiwani-Kalka Ekta Express ran behind schedule due to poor visibility following dense fog, railway sources said.
Air authorities said that flights, including Mumbai-Delhi Chandigarh of Indian Airlines and Jet Airways Delhi-Chandigarh flight arrived behind schedule at local airport.

Bureau Report