DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan, paralyzed by the coldest winter in decades, asked for emergency international aid on Wednesday to help it survive an energy crisis which has left millions of people without power and heating.
"Over the next few days the government will submit a list of basic emergency items to international organizations and donor countries as well as a plan for their use and allocation," the central bank said in a statement.
Its infrastructure ruined in a 1990s civil war, Tajikistan has long experienced heating and power shortages during winter months. But this year disruptions were particularly severe, with millions of people struggling to survive without heating.
The unusually cold winter has hit many parts of Central Asia this year. In neighboring Afghanistan, the extreme cold has killed several hundred people and about 40,000 cattle.
A day earlier, the government met officials from foreign organizations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to discuss the crisis.
