Nawalparasi, January 4 :

Two elderly persons, including a 65-year-old Ram Prabesh Gupta of Nayabelahani-8 Arunkhola, died due cold wave today, the District Public Health Office said.

The freezing cold has destroyed paddy planted on nearly 800 hectares of land, said the horticulture officer at the Agriculture Office in Nawalparasi, Bal Govinda Pathak.

The continuing cold spell also killed 45-year-old Jhalaru Majhi of Manaharwa-6 in Bara district, last night, a local said.

Bara’s Kalaiya Municipality office has begun distributing timber among people for lighting fires at main chowks and public places.

Most primary schools in the district have been closed. Airlines resumed their operations today following an improvement in weather. Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu landed at Simra at 1:30 pm today, said the Simra Airport office.

The continuing cold wave has affected at least 50 children and elderly persons.

In Saptari, three persons, including 50-year-old Bachkun Sada of Bhangaha VDC-3 and Jhabarai Devi of Rautahat-1, died of cold over the last three days, relatives of the dead said.

The cold wave in Kapilvastu have claimed the lives of three persons in course of a week. The dead have been identified as Dolahari Kahar of Dohani VDC-8, Kote Yadav and Raj Kahar of Kapilvastu Municipality.

Most of the schools in Mahottari have declared a winter holiday. The district education officer, Jibachha Mishra, said the aged and the children are flooding the hospital for treatment at the district hospital.

The Butwal Municipality has begun distributing logs to people who are earning their livelihood on the street for lighting fires on the street.