Watch: Heavy snowfall turns desert into winter wonderland

Heavy snowfall has added to the woes of locals displaced by the Syrian war.

After Saudi Arabia, it's snowing in another desert area of the Middle East.
The northern Syrian province of Deir Ez Zor has experienced heavy snowfall and freezing conditions recently - first time in 25 years, The Independent reported.
The mostly desert province gets barely any rain and some areas had not seen snowfall in more than a quarter of a century until freezing conditions hit over the weekend, which has added to the woes of locals displaced by the conflict in the country.
UN's partner agencies had been trying to get people to move to the town of Al-Hawl to the northeast, but thousands are reportedly still without inadequate shelter, proper clothing and fuel.
Deir Ez Zor has seen heavy fighting between Free Syrian Army rebels, extremists such as Daesh and Syrian government troops throughout the war. The city itself, home to approximately 200,000 people, has been under siege by Daesh forces since 2015.

The snow has also complicated relief efforts across the border in northern Iraq, where thousands of displaced Yazidis near Singar are dealing with unprecedented snow while living in refugee tents.

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"Nearly 50 centimetres of snow has fallen on Mount Singar, endangering the lives of the refugees there," said Mahma Khalil, the town's mayor.

 

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Curated by Yousuf Saifuddin Kapadia (yousufk@khaleejtimes.com)
The story originally appeared here.

• MENA