Moderate to heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand intensified the cold wave conditions in northern India on Sunday, claiming 15 more lives with thick fog also disrupting road, train and air traffic.

Twelve people succumbed to cold in Uttar Pradesh and three in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the death toll to 46.

On Sunday, a goods train hit a stationary one in Kanpur apparently due to poor visibility caused by fog, seriously injuring one of the drivers. Traffic on the Delhi-Howrah stretch has been disrupted following the accident.

About one-and-a-half feet of snow was recorded in the high altitude areas of Kashmir valley, including Baltal and Drass on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway, since Saturday evening.

The Gulmarg ski resort received fresh snow of four to five feet. The minimum temperature in Srinagar was 0.2 degrees Celsius. The Trikuta hills in Jammu, housing the holy shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi, experienced its first snowfall of the season. However, the yatra to the shrine continued uninterrupted. Tourists flocked to Patnitop, 110 km away from Jammu.

Shimla's wait for snow ended Saturday night with Jakhu Hill overlooking the town's core areas of the Mall and Ridge experiencing at least 2.5 cm of snow after midnight. Kufri, the most popular tourist hub known for its ski-slopes, recorded 9 cm of snow while Narkanda witnessed 12.5 cm of snow.

“It’s a very good beginning for 2009. Snowfall has brought hopes for the hoteliers and the tourism industry,” said State Secretary (Tourism), Manisha Nanda.

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