2 million animals dead as extreme winter weather hits Mongolia

BAYANMUNKH SUM, Mongolia – More than two million animals have died in Mongolia so far this winter, a government official said on Feb 26, as the country endures extreme cold and snow.

The landlocked country is no stranger to severe weather from December to March, when temperatures plummet to as low as minus 50 deg C in some areas.

But this winter has been more severe than usual, with lower than normal temperatures and very heavy snowfall, the United Nations said in a recent report.

As at Feb 26, 2.1 million heads of livestock had died…