According to Abdul Rahman Zahid, 88 people have died in the last week alone. The total death toll of 166 is based on data from 24 of the 34 provinces of this country in the grip of misery.

Mr Rahman Zahid explained in a video that these deaths were caused by floods, fires or leaks from gas-fired radiators used to heat houses.

Since January 10, the thermometer has dropped to -33 degrees Celsius in some Afghan regions. These extreme temperatures are sometimes accompanied by snowfall and freezing rain, while power outages are frequent.

Before this cold snap, humanitarian organizations had warned that more than half of the 38 million inhabitants were at risk of starvation and almost 4 million children were malnourished.

A hundred homes were destroyed or damaged and nearly 80,000 head of livestock – a vital resource in this extremely poor country – died from the cold.

Obstacles to humanitarian aid

The World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that 17 people in a village in Badakhshan province have been killed due to a acute respiratory infection.

The harsh weather conditions prevented rescue workers from reaching the arealamented theWHO.

Humanitarian aid was severely reduced after the Taliban returned to power more than two years ago following the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan.

The Taliban government banned Afghan women from working for humanitarian organizations in December, forcing many to shut down operations.

Thanks to the ex post exemption for the health sector, some NGOs have been able to resume their activities.