Some 20 children have frozen to death in the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan and dozens of others are at risk, an official said on Friday. The children died over the past three days, Rahmatullah Hashar, the governor of Darzab ditrict in the province, told dpa. Thousands of Afghan families have fled to Darzab district this year as a result of attacks by Taliban militants on their villages. Many of the families are now living in tents or local mosques. Temperatures plunged below zero degrees Celsius this week and 40 centimetres of snow fell in the area. Quoting representatives of the displaced families, Hashar added: "If emergency aid and medicine do not reach the families on time, 30 to 50 more children could die." He said, "We have reported the issue to the provincial authorities, and now we are waiting for them to act." Mohammad Reza, the provincial governor's spokesman, did not want to confirm the reports, but said around 150 displaced families in Darzab and a small number in Sheberghan city, the capital of the province, were facing difficulties.
