At least 70 killed by Afghanistan cold snap: official
The Hindu
More than half of the country's 38 million people are facing hunger this winter
At least 70 people have died in a wave of freezing temperatures sweeping Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, as extreme weather compounds a humanitarian crisis in the poverty-stricken nation.
Since January 10, the mercury has plunged in Kabul and several other provinces, with the central region of Ghor recording the lowest reading of -33C (-27F) over the weekend.
"This winter is by far the coldest in recent years," Mohammad Nasim Muradi, the head of Afghanistan's meteorology office, told AFP.
In the countryside, homeless families were seen warding off the cold by huddling around campfires, whilst in the snowy capital domestic coal heaters were fired up by the more fortunate.
"We expect the cold wave to continue for another week or more," said Mr. Muradi.
The ministry of disaster management said 70 people and 70,000 cattle — a vital commodity in poorer sectors of Afghan society — died over the past eight days.
Several central and northern provinces saw roads blocked by heavy snowfall, according to images posted on social media.
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