An Afghan official has confirmed that at least 16 children have died in refugee camps outside the capital this month due to record freezing temperatures.

Dr. Ghulam Sakhi Kargar, spokesman for the Afghan Public Health Ministry, told RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan on February 8 that medic teams were being sent to refugee camps to address the rising health concerns there.

He confirmed that nine children have died in Charahi Qambar, five in Bagrami, and one at Milibas refugee camps outside Kabul.

The confirmation comes after “The New York Times” reported that Afghan authorities had questioned the veracity of the deaths on February 7. 

More than 30 Afghans, mostly in the country’s remote northeast, have died this winter amid heavy snow falls and record cold temperatures.

The fatalities in Kabul come as the Afghan meteorological service said Kabul is experiencing the worst weather it has had in at least 15 years.

Copyright © 2012, RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Source Article from http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_freezing_temperatures_children_deaths/24477832.html

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