"During the last five days, 14 children aged between one month and 12 years have died from pneumonia or other diseases caused by the cold," said Anju Rani Dey, an administrator at Chittagong Medical College hospital in southeast Bangladesh.

More than 100 children had been admitted to the hospital since last week suffering from illnesses linked to the cold weather, she said.

Five other children died at the Mother and Child Hospital in Chittagong, assistant registrar Rokeya Begum said.

Two other children as well as two elderly women and a male prisoner also died in the northwestern region of Rajshahi, district officials told AFP.

The deaths bring the number of cold-related fatalities this month to 26. Two people died last week when temperatures dropped as low as 6.2 Celsius (43.2 Fahrenheit) in the southwestern district of Jessore.

At least 11 people were also killed in accidents caused by heavy fog.

The Meteorological Department said the weather had been improving across the country since Saturday. Temperatures were now back to their seasonal average of between 11 and 12 degrees Celsius in most places and were likely to continue improving.

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