Intense cold weather claimed 26 lives across Bihar in the last 24 hours.

The highest number of casualties was reported from Sitamarhi where five people died, while three each died in Sasaram and Muzaffarpur.

Deaths were also reported from Begusarai, Kaimur, Gopalganj, Darbhanga, Patna, Saran and Biharsharif.

The Met Department, which has predicted there will be no let-up in the cold wave situation for the next few days, has issued an orange alert for another 48 hours.

“The situation may turn worse on January 1 and 2 as there is a possibility of light rain in certain pockets of Bihar,” said the source in the Meteorological Department.

In the state capital, the minimum temperature nosedived to 7.4 degree Celsius.

While most of the people preferred to remain indoors due to inclement weather, those in a mood to welcome New Year preferred to take out their best of woollens on Tuesday evening.

The cold wave had its cascading effect on railways too, as many super fast trains between Patna and New Delhi, including Rajdhani Express, were running several hours late.

Equally worse was the situation at Patna airport where two flights were cancelled due to intense fog while 12 other aircraft were delayed owing to poor visibility.    

Gaya, however, was recorded as the coldest city as the minimum temperature in the Land of the Buddha was 2 degree Celsius.