More than 160 people have already died in Afghanistan as a result of the cold snap. As the disaster management ministry in Kabul announced on Saturday, the number of fatalities has risen to at least 166 since the cold spell began more than two weeks ago.
In addition, about 100 houses were destroyed or damaged. Nearly 80,000 animals also died in the cold, an important source of food and income for many Afghans.
The temperature in Afghanistan has dropped to minus 33 degrees since January 10. There are also heavy snowfalls, icy storms and power outages. According to Afghan meteorologists, this winter is “by far the coldest in recent years”.
Many difficult to access areas
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 17 people died this week from “acute respiratory infections” in just one village in the northeastern province of Badakhshan. According to the WHO, the area is difficult to reach for aid workers due to the difficult weather conditions.
In a statement released via video, a ministry official also cited fires and leaks in gas stoves used by Afghan families to heat their homes as causes of death.
Country internationally isolated because of Taliban
Afghanistan is internationally isolated because of the radical Islamist Taliban government. Even before the cold snap, the country was already experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. More than half of the 38 million inhabitants have no guaranteed food supply, three million children are at risk of malnutrition.
International humanitarian aid to Afghanistan was further curtailed after the Taliban’s December 24 decision to exclude women from aid. An exception was later made for women in the health sector, after which some NGOs resumed their work.
Source: Krone
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