1 Aug 10 - Though the mercury across much of the South American
country has already plummeted to a 50-year low, temperatures are
predicted to fall further in coming weeks. In 16 of Peru's 25
regions, temperatures have fallen below -24C.
Reports from the country say 409 people, most of them children, have
already died from the cold, with
"Over the past three or four years we have seen temperatures during
the winter months get lower, and people are unable to survive this,"
said Silvia Noble, from Plan Peru, an NGO. "This cold weather is now
extending into areas that never saw these low temperatures before."
The freeze is also killing hundreds of alpaca. Farmers are
struggling to keep livestock alive due to frozen water points and a
lack of food.
