In Afghanistan, freezing temperatures claim the lives of 78 people

Authorities said on Thursday that at least 78 people died of cold in Afghanistan during the country’s worst winter in more than a decade.

 

Officials reported cold-related deaths in eight of the country’s 34 provinces.

 

The coldest winter in 15 years has hit Afghanistan in the midst of a severe economic crisis, with temperatures as low as -34 degrees Celsius (-29.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

Many aid organisations have partially suspended operations in recent weeks as a result of a Taliban ruling that most female NGO workers were not permitted to work, leaving agencies unable to carry out many programmes in the conservative country.

 

‘Because the weather will become colder in the coming days, it is necessary to consider humanitarian aid for affected people,’ said Abdullah Ahmadi, the head of the Ministry of Disaster Management’s emergency operations centre.