Chandigarh, December 19
A thick blanket of fog enveloping North India claimed four lives and injured 12 others as poor visibility disrupted train and flight schedules today stranding many persons in the area.

With the national Capital engulfed with fog, both Jet Airways and Indian Airlines flights from New Delhi to Chandigarh had to be rescheduled, airline sources said here.

Many trains coming from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to destinations in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu were delayed by several hours.

The Darbhanga Express was delayed by 16 hours, Barauni Express by over 5 hours, Bandra-Amritsar Express by nearly 3 hours, Unchahar Express by 7 hours, Chandigarh-Lucknow Express by 6 hours, Malwa Express by 4 hours and Jansewa Express ran by over 7 hours, railway sources said.

The foggy conditions claimed four lives in Uttar Pradesh. In Mainpuri, Mr Sujit Pandey, SP, said four persons were killed and 12 others injured in two road accidents in the district.

Three persons were killed and 12 injured when the Jeep in which they were travelling was hit by a truck near Tiauli village in Bhongaon town, he said while adding that dense fog apparently led to the accident.

In another accident, a seven-year-old boy was crushed to death by a mini truck at Rampura village, Mr Pandey said adding that the driver had been arrested.

The Meteoroligical Department here said foggy conditions would persist at many places in Haryana, especially those towns neighbouring Delhi, but a few places in Punjab might receive some showers.

Minimum temperatures in the region continued to show rising trend. Chandigarh recorded a low of 9.8°C. Ambala had a low of 7.8°C, a degree above normal