According to the Ministry, the deaths were reported in several provinces, being hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning the main causes of death.

Many families do not have the resources to face the cold wave, so they collect plastics and papers to burn them to heat their homes, resulting in deaths due to carbon monoxide inhalation.

The current winter conditions have created many problems for the people. More than 50 houses have been destroyed and many roads had to be closed, restricting the movement of people, said ministry spokesman Shafiullah Rahimi.

Authorities reported that temperatures in the current cold spell have dropped from -18 to -34 degrees Celsius in the past three weeks, an unprecedented record in the past two decades in Afghanistan.

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