Freezing temperatures kill 78 in Afghanistan

At least 78 people have died of cold in Afghanistan during the country's worst winter in more than a decade, authorities said on Thursday.

Deaths from the cold have been recorded in eight of the country's 34 provinces, officials said, reports Reuters.

The coldest winter in 15 years, which has seen temperatures dip as low as -34 degrees Celsius (-29.2 degrees Fahrenheit), has hit Afghanistan in the middle of a severe economic crisis.

Many aid groups have partially suspended operations in recent weeks due to a Taliban ruling that most female NGO workers could not work, leaving agencies unable to operate many programmes in the conservative country.

"The weather will get colder in the next few days, therefore it is necessary to consider humanitarian aid for affected people," said Abdullah Ahmadi, the head of the operations centre for emergency conditions at the Ministry of Disaster Management.