KABUL, Jan 30 (NNN-ANA) – Heavy snowfall and chilly weather have claimed 170 lives, including children and women, in Afghanistan, over the past three weeks, spokesman for the Ministry of Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, Shafiullah Rahimi, said.
“30 others, including women and children, were also injured, due to the chilly weather and snowfall in 24, out of the country’s 34 provinces, over the past three weeks,” Rahimi said.
More than 150 residential houses have been completely destroyed or partially damaged, over the period, the official said, adding, the continued freezing climate and snowfall have also killed about 80,000 cattle, including cows, sheep and goats, elsewhere in the country.
The official also called on aid agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to needy Afghan families, in this critical stage and help them survive the freezing winter.
In the cash-strapped and war-ravaged Afghanistan, where there is no central heating system, people often use coal, wood or liquid gas to keep themselves warm in winter, which in many cases claims human lives, due to gas leakage or carbon monoxide emission.
Extreme chilly weather and snowfall have swept through parts of Afghanistan since the first week of Jan, when the temperature fell down to minus 30 degrees Celsius in some areas.– NNN-ANA
