Cold weather kills 55 children in Peru

At least 55 children under the age of five have died in Peru due to a cold wave that has hit most parts of the country, Peru's Health Minister Carlos Vallejos said.

Plateau regions across the provinces of Puno, Apurimac, Ancash, Cajamarca and Cusco are among the worst hit in the country, which have seen extreme cold weather of -20 degrees Celsius, the minister said Friday.

About 6,300 people have also caught pneumonia as a result of the cold weather, the minister said.

First Published: Jul 07, 2007 12:49 IST