Life in South Punjab especially in land areas, including Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan, came to a standstill on Sunday as dense mist blanketed all over the province, badly disrupting activities of daily life.
Due to the fog, Multan airport was closed, flights were postponed, and traffic on the roads turned thin because of low visibility conditions and drivers were advised to turn headlights while travelling especially during the day. Motorway was shutdown for all kinds of traffic due to thick haze while travelling on GT Road was prohibited. Due to intense cold weather, two grid stations of the districts were also tripped, suspending electricity supply to many areas for 11 hours.
The schedule of flights, trains and road traffic was also severely disrupted as heavy fog engulfed almost all parts of the country. Dense fog on the new year's second day caused many accidents in the city, claiming 15 people's lives and injuring hundreds, while nine people, including a woman, were killed in different incidents on Saturday due to fog.
The areas would remain in the grip of cold weather in the coming days, an official of Met Office was quoted as saying. According to an analysis by Met Office, south-westerly winds with cloud cover over the northern regions is likely during next 24 to 48 hours.