Peru’s government on Monday sent 18 trucks carrying 97,000 blankets to villages in the Andean highlands, where the populations endure freezing temperatures.
The blankets were sent to Puno, Apurimac, Ayacucho, Junin, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ancash and La Libertad regions, daily La Republica reported.
The shipment is part of the national government plan to provide support to people who are not properly equipped to weather the cold.
Children and the elderly are often the most vulnerable to the cold temperatures, and every year a number of people in the highlands die during Peru’s cold winter months of June through August.
Last week, temperatures in the district of Mazocruz, located some 4,000 meters above sea level in the Puno region, dipped to -18 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest temperature in the department so far this year.
Meanwhile, some 70,000 blankets were also sent to the northern region of Loreto last week to help people living in colder than normal temperatures.
The government’s initial budget for the plan is about 36.1 million soles ($13.6 million), which is intended to benefit almost 250,000 people.
