"Three more people died of cold overnight" taking the weekend toll in Uttar Pradesh state to five, said police spokesman Surendra Srivastava from the state capital Lucknow.

The toll since early December when a cold wave hit northern India, including one person who froze to death in neighbouring Haryana state, now stands at 40, Srivastava said.

Most of the victims in Uttar Pradesh -- India's most populous state and one of its poorest -- were homeless, Srivastava said.

Overnight, the temperature in Lucknow dipped to three degrees Celsiusdegrees Fahrenheit). The weather office said it was likely to drop further in the coming days.

It is common to see homeless people and policemen on night duty lighting bonfires to keep themselves warm in Lucknow.

"This is the only solace. Without this fire we will die," said Ram Din, a labourer who lives on the street.

The winter takes a heavy toll each year around South Asia, as poverty forces many homeless people to live outdoors or in flimsy shacks designed for the hot summers.

Last year, more than 400 people had died from cold in Uttar Pradesh alone.

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