7 die due to cold wave in Uttarakhand

All the casualties were reported from Roorkee and surrounding villages in Haridwar district where icy northwesterly winds continued to blow amid dense fog.

While a woman from Bihar died in Kaliyar, one death each was reported from Bahadrabad, Jassawala, Manglore, Landhora Laksar and Prahladpur areas, officials said in Roorkee.

Mercury rose marginally in most places with Dehradun recording a minimum of 3.5 degree Celsius, Pantnagar 0.2 deg C, Mukteshwar 0.2 deg C, Tehri 1.0 Pithoragarh 2.3 and Nainital 4.0 degree C, the MeT office said.

"The rising temperature at most places shows that the downtrend has finally come to an end," a MeT official said adding it was a pointer towards more pleasant days ahead.

However, cold wave conditions will persist for a few more days with fog in the plains and ground frost in the hills, he said.