Heavy snowfall and freezing weather has killed 27 children in a remote district of northern Afghanistan, an official says.

Fifty centimeters of snow blocked roads in Darzaab in northern Jawzjan Province as temperatures plunged to minus 10 degrees Celsius, district Governor Rahmatullah Hashar said on January 26.

Hashar said the deaths occurred over the past two or three days, adding that all of the children were under the age of 5.

The fact that access for villagers has been cut off means the toll could rise, he also said.

However, the provincial governor's spokesman, Reza Ghafoori, said aid would be delivered.

Each winter, heavy snowfall, subzero temperatures, and avalanches kill scores of people in Afghanistan, where poor infrastructure makes it difficult for rescuers to reach isolated areas.

Based on reporting by AFP and Pajhwok </s> Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have killed at least 20 people, mostly children, this week in a remote northern province in Afghanistan, local officials say.

The deaths occurred in the rural Darzab district of the Jawzjan Province, district Governor Rahmatullah Hashar told RFE/RL on November 25.

Hashar said all the victims were internally displaced people who had left their villages in neighboring regions due to violence and a lack of security.

Hashar and local officials said some 100 families were currently living in harsh conditions in “mosques and open spaces” in remote mountainous areas, with no access to medical facilities.

Darzab officials say the road linking the area with the provincial capital, Sheberghan, has been cut off by the Taliban. Authorities say they are waiting for the weather to clear up before delivering aid by air.

Provincial Governor Lutfullah Azizi has called on the local residents to offer shelter to the displaced in Jawzjan.

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At least 20 people have died of extreme cold weather in the Darzab District of Afghanistan's Jozjan Province. All of the victims were displaced as a result of the ongoing civil conflict.