Afghanistan’s coldest winter leaves 926 dead so far
February 16th, 2008 - 10:49 pm ICT by adminRIA Novosti
Kabul, Feb 16 (RIA Novosti) The death toll in the unusually severe cold weather in Afghanistan since December last year has risen to 926, an emergency situations ministry spokesman said Saturday. At least 129 people have been killed by the frosts only in the last five days, the spokesman said.
The national weather authorities earlier said that this winter is the coldest on record, with temperatures reaching lows of -30 degrees Celsius in 17 of the country’s 34 provinces.
At least 100 people across the country have had their limbs amputated because of frostbite. Most of the victims were shepherds and the number of amputees is still on the rise, the official said.
Avalanches and heavy snowfall have also destroyed over 730 houses in the impoverished country, and nearly 315,000 cattle have died since blizzards and frost hit Afghanistan.
People in Afghanistan’s northern provinces, stricken with hunger and cold, have even gone to the extent of selling their children to buy bread and coal. At least six such cases have been reported in the Baghlan province this month alone.
Aid workers have also reported being attacked by starving Afghan mountain dwellers.
RIA Novosti
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Tags: aid workers, amputees, blizzards, cattle, celsius, cold weather, coldest winter, death toll, emergency situations, frostbite, frosts, heavy snowfall, kabul, lows, ministry spokesman, mountain dwellers, national weather, northern provinces, ria novosti, weather in afghanistan