Freezing temperatures in Afghanistan that dipped as low as -34 Celsius -- the coldest recorded in 15 years -- have killed at least 70 people and 77,000 animals, according to officials on January 19, as the country's humanitarian crisis worsens.
'The Coldest In Recent Years': Dozens Killed By Cold Snap In Afghanistan
Updated
- By AFP
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Children at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) shovel snow near their tents in the Nahr-e-Shahi district of Balkh Province, near Mazar-i-Sharif, on January 17. Kabul and several other provinces have seen record-low temperatures since January 10, with Ghor in the central region reaching the lowest reading of -33 Celsius (-27 Fahrenheit).
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More than half of Afghanistan's 38 million people are facing hunger, and nearly 4 million children are suffering from malnutrition, according to aid agencies.
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"This winter is by far the coldest in recent years," Mohammad Nasim Muradi, the head of Afghanistan's meteorology office, told AFP.
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"We expect the cold wave to continue for another week or more," Muradi said.
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Afghan men warm themselves around a bonfire at a market in Mazar-i-Sharif on January 14.
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Afghan girls collect firewood for their homes in the Kuz Kunar district of Nangarhar Province on January 16.
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These men received treatment for frostbite in Herat after being rescued while attempting to cross illegally into Iran.
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A view of the frozen Kokcha River in Fayzabad in Badakhshan Province
