Lucknow, Dec 23 (IANS): At least 31 people have died across Uttar Pradesh due to the intense cold, officials said Tuesday.

A drop in the mercury accompanied with a dense fog delayed trains and forced authorities to shut schools till Dec 28.

Eight people have died in eastern UP because of the inclement weather since Monday. Six died in the Avadh region, two each in Meerut and Kanpur, seven in Moradabad and six in Aligarh as the cold wave continued unabated.

More than 150 trains here were delayed due to fog and poor visibility. Trains such as Punjab Mail, Saryu-Yamuna Express, New Delhi-Jalpaiguri Express, Kota-Patna Express, Sadbhavna Express, Kumbh Express, Vaishali Express, besides others, were delayed by 10-12 hours, a railway official told IANS.

Flights were also disrupted due to dense fog Monday with the Air India flight from New Delhi delayed by six hours and a Jet Airways flight being cancelled.

A state government spokesman told IANS that authorities have ordered all government aided and private schools in the state to remain shut till Dec 28.

The minimum temperature here was 5 degrees Celsius Monday. The coldest place in the state at 2.3 degrees Celsius was Meerut, while it was 2.5 degrees Celsius in Muzaffarnagar, and 3.5 degrees Celsius in Varanasi.

The Met Office has said the cold wave condition would continue in the coming days.