Death toll from India's cold snap nears 100

Near-freezing temperatures and icy Himalayan winds killed 13 people in northern India overnight, bringing the death toll to nearly 100 from a cold snap that began three weeks ago.

The worst-hit is the state of Uttar Pradesh, where at least 81 people _ mostly poor and homeless _ have died because of the intense cold. Uttar Pradesh is one of India's poorest states and nearly a fifth of its 180 million people are homeless, according to state government statistics.

In New Delhi, 10 people have died in the past two weeks, while another six deaths were reported from Jharkhand state.

“The government, here in the capital city of Delhi, have put up night shelters for the people who are homeless,” says Fr Babu Joseph, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. “Similarly the Catholic institutions have opened their doors to people to accommodate them at night.”

Listen to Fr Babu Joseph’s full interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: