Frozen to Death: Afghan Mother Dies to Protect Her Kids on Turkish-Iranian Border
An Afghan mother’s heroic death to protect her children during a blizzard represents the death of humanity and the global failure of handling the issue of refugees in a more humane way.
The residents of the Avzek village in the Ozalp district of Turkey’s eastern Van province on the border with Iran were startled by an unanticipated visit from two young Afghan boys who were seemingly lost in the wilderness in the midst of a bone-chilling blizzard as the hours progressed to the new year.
Their hands and feet were severely damaged by frostbites. How they survived the storm, which arrested the movement of the villagers who were usually acclimatized by harsh winters, was beyond comprehension.
Their despairing state was more than enough to remove the language barrier as boys pleaded for help for their missing mother.
After tending the boys, the villagers went on a frenzied search to locate the unfortunate woman. They found the mother. Dead. Frozen.
The sight was to chill and shudder even the most non-sentimental people.
