250 Kids Die in Harsh Peru Winter

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2009 4:40 AM CDT
250 Kids Die in Harsh Peru Winter
Lake Titicaca in Peru. Some 250 children under the age of 5 have died during one of the worst winters in years.   (©revolution cycle)

Almost 250 children in Peru under the age of 5 have died during one of the coldest winters in years, reports the BBC. Scientists blame climate change for the early arrival of severe temperatures, which began as early as March. Kids exposed to the cold have contracted hypothermia and respiratory infections like pneumonia as the southern winter wears on. Peru has declared a state of emergency, but many have accused the government's lack of action for the deaths.
(More Peru stories.)

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