Intense fog grips Delhi, swathes of North India

At least 11 people were killed and travel chaos unfolded in north India on Wednesday as a band of thick fog left cities, towns and villages in the Indo-Gangetic plains virtually blinded, causing pile-ups on highways, holding up trains, and delaying or diverting flights.

The national capital recorded its worst bout of fog so far, experts said, with visibility having begun to plunge from Tuesday night, dropping to zero at the Palam observatory between 8am and 10am. Throughout Wednesday, the fog did not lift entirely and the highest visibility recorded was 800m (on a clear day, it is usually around 4,000m). By 10pm, visibility again plummeted to 50m as dense fog returned.

The Capital’s airport had to divert four flights to Jaipur, and at least 100 more arrived after significant delays. Similar disruptions were reported by the Railways, with at least 25 trains arriving late, with some delayed by as much as five hours.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said the fog on Wednesday was the thickest across north India this season. “It developed in the night and morning hours and has lasted a longer duration as compared to Tuesday,” said the official. The visibility plunged to 50 metres in Amritsar at 6pm on Tuesday. It dropped to 50 metres in Lucknow and Agra by 11.30pm. “In Delhi, Safdarjung and Palam have 50-metre visibility. It dropped to 150 metres at Palam at 4.30am and to 50 metres by 7am,” the official said. Later in the day, visibility at Palam began dropping from 5.30pm, according to the IMD.