Cold wave kills over 100 in Afghanistan
Jan 23, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 23 : More than 100 people have died in Afghanistan in the past two weeks due to exposure to the severe cold weather and carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Tolo News citing the information from the Taliban-led Ministry for Disaster Management on Sunday,
"At least 104 people have died in various provinces and 50 houses have been damaged or destroyed," said Shafay Rahimi, a spokesman for the Taliban-led ministry.
According to the Taliban, the deaths have happened in 15 provinces.
Abdul Zahir, a resident of Afghanistan's Ghor province said he lost one of his children due to cold weather and is now struggling with dire economic conditions.
"All my kids are sick. One of them was killed and three others are in the hospital," he said, as quoted by TOLO News.
According to TOLO News, vulnerable families are mostly victims of the extreme cold in the country.
A resident of Faryab province, Mohammad Azim said: "Many families don't have food to eat, water to drink and anything else to warm their homes."
Based on statistics from the Taliban-led Information and Culture Ministry, tens of thousands of livestock have perished due to cold over the past two weeks, TOLO News reported.
TOLO News recently reported that at least 140 people were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning in Afghanistan's Herat province. Amongst those hospitalised, there are many children and women.
Herat residents said that they are using gas as the only option to warm their homes amid harsh winters as the price of firewood and other basic amenities are too high in the country.
"It was cold and my family turned on the gas. I would have lost 21 members of my family if I had arrived five minutes late," said Abdul Qadir, a Herat resident who brought his family to the regional hospital in the province.
"Within the past 24 hours, 130 to 140 patients have been brought to the emergency ward of the hospital," said the head of the hospital, Ahmad Farhad Afzali, according to TOLOnews.
A sudden fall in temperature has severely affected people, already hit hard by poverty, and lack of food and fuel, in the trouble-torn country. Over 16 people have been killed across 4 provinces due to cold, TOLOnews reported.
"We don't have power, and we are forced to use the gas. So far, two of my family members have died of carbon monoxide poisoning," said Shakila, a resident of Herat.
