Thick fog disrupts India travel

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A thick fog, which has enveloped the Indian capital, Delhi, since Sunday night has delayed flights and train schedules, affecting commuters.

Thousands of passengers heading out of Delhi are stranded at the city's airport and main railway stations.

A weak sun is now shining in Delhi, but weather officials say it will continue to be foggy for the next few days.

Delhi is affected by fog every winter and disruptions to rail and air traffic at this time of the year are routine.

Officials say dozens of domestic and international flights have been cancelled and several incoming flights have been diverted to nearby cities.

Poor visibility

Some have even been sent back to their place of origin.

Delhi airport was closed on Sunday at 2130 IST (1600 GMT) after a thick blanket of fog descended on the city and very few flights took off on Monday.

The thick fog is accompanied by dipping temperatures

Airport officials said on Tuesday that visibility at the runway was only a little more than 1,000 metres while the minimum requirement for flying is 1,500 metres.

Earlier in the morning, it was only 200 metres.

The airport and the city's main railway stations are overflowing with anxious passengers as airline companies and India's state-owned railway service struggle to cope with the delays.

Fog, accompanied by dipping temperatures, has affected almost all of northern India.