© Xinhua/Naim-ul-karim
A man squats by a fire during a winter morning in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, Jan. 9, 2018. Bangladesh Monday recorded the lowest temperature in five decades as mercury dipped to a chilling 2.6 degrees Celsius. According to local media, as many as 12 people have so far died in three northern Bangladesh districts due to the cold spell.
A man squats by a fire during a winter morning in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, Jan. 9, 2018. Bangladesh Monday recorded the lowest temperature in five decades as mercury dipped to a chilling 2.6 degrees Celsius. According to local media, as many as 12 people have so far died in three northern Bangladesh districts due to the cold spell.
The mercury plunged to a frigid 2.6 degrees Celsius (36.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of Bangladesh, well below average in the low-lying riverine nation whose 160 million citizens are used to milder winters.
"It is the lowest temperature since authorities started keeping records in 1948," Shamsuddin Ahmed, head of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told AFP. The previous low of 2.8 degrees was recorded in 1968, he added.
Ahmed said Bangladesh was in the "grip of a severe cold wave", with temperatures dipping across all northern districts over the past few days.
The coldest temperatures were recorded in the border town of Tetulia, about 400 kilometres north of the capital Dhaka.
One local broadcaster reported that at least nine people had died from exposure, including six in one of the coldest locations in the northern district of Kurigram.
Officials said they were not aware of any deaths so far.
Comment: As many as 12 people have died so far in three northern Bangladesh districts due to the cold spell reports Xinhua.
Comment: