Iran Confirms 10 Afghan Migrants Died From Cold While Crossing Border
Iranian border authorities have confirmed that 10 Afghan migrants died from hypothermia while attempting to cross into Iran amid severe winter conditions.
Iranian border authorities have confirmed that 10 Afghan migrants died from hypothermia while attempting to cross into Iran amid severe winter conditions.
Majid Shoja, commander of the Razavi Khorasan Border Guard, said the bodies were handed over to Taliban officials after the completion of legal and administrative procedures at the Dogharoun border crossing. He added that more than 1,600 Afghan migrants suffered from cold exposure last week during heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures along the Taybad border.
Following an earlier report by Afghanistan International, Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Herat, also confirmed that Afghan migrants had died while crossing into Iran. However, he said only three Afghans died at the Kohsan border while attempting what he described as “illegal migration” to Iran.
Local sources in Herat told Afghanistan International that a group of Afghan migrants died inside Iranian territory during an intense cold wave. According to those sources, the bodies of at least 15 people were transferred to the districts of Kohsan and Adraskan in Herat province.
Saeedi, speaking to the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency, disputed those figures and said the death toll stood at three.
Sources said reduced border controls during snowfall often prompt some Afghans to attempt irregular crossings into Iran.
International organisations say rising poverty, unemployment and worsening food insecurity exacerbated by drought and cuts in international aid are driving increasing numbers of Afghans to migrate irregularly to neighbouring countries.
