More than 290,000 livestock have been killed in the Mongolian provinces of Sukhbaatar and Khentii due to the recent dust and snow storms, local media reported on Thursday.
The overall number of fatalities is however, expected to increase since many livestock still remain still unaccounted for, Xinhua news agency quoted authorities as saying. Heavy blizzards and intense dust storms swept through Sukhbaatar and Khentii provinces late last week, causing severe damage.
A total of 127 people, primarily nomadic herders, went missing in the provinces due to the storms. Among them, 125 were found alive, while two were killed. Mongolia has a harsh continental climate as strong winds, dust and snow storms are common.