Fog forces int'l flights out of Dhaka

Thick fog in the morning hours yesterday forced diversion of five Dhaka-bound international flights to Calcutta and Chittagong.

Air traffic controllers at Zia International Airport diverted Biman flights from Bombay and Riyadh along with an Emirates flight from Dubai and a Qatar Airline flight from Doha to Calcutta.

A Biman flight from New York also had to land in Chittagong, sources concerned said.

All the five flights later landed at ZIA when the fog started disappearing in the early afternoon.

Services of ferry vessels, launches and long-distance buses were also disrupted for the third day consecutive day yesterday to dense fog in the morning.

Along with the fog, a cold wave continued to sweep the country. The lowest temperature of 6.7 degree Celsius was recorded at Srimangal, the Meteorological Department said.

The northern districts bore the brunt of the cold wave where temperatures fell below 10 C, making life difficult for the poor.

In the city, the minimum temperature was recorded at 12 C. Sun did not shine before mid day. When it broke through the dense fog, a veil of mist still clouded it, leaving city dwellers out on the street on the last working day before the Eid holidays.

The day's minimum temperatures were recorded at 7.2 C in Jessore, 7.6 C in Satkhira, 8 C in Chuadanga and Ishurdi, 8.5 C in Rajshahi, 9 C in Dinajpur, 9.3 C in Bogra, 9.4 C in Rangpur, 9.6 C in Syedpur, 9.5 C in Khulna, 10 C in Barisal, 10.8 C in Bhola, 10.8 C in Faridpur, 10.3 C in Tangail, 11 C in Mymensingh, 10.8 C in Comilla, 10.6 C in Feni and 11.2 C in Sylhet.

The Met office said in its forecast for today that dry weather would continue all over the country with a partly cloudy sky over Chittagong. There may be moderate to thick fog in the morning.

The cold wave may continue in Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and in Srimangal and Sitakundu regions. The night temperature may fall further in the next 48 hours beginning from 6 p.m. today, it said.