NGO reports nine cold-related deaths as polar wave slams Argentina

At least nine homeless people have died from the cold so far this winter in Argentina, where parts of the country are under weather alerts amid record-breaking low temperatures, the NGO Proyecto 7 said Wednesday.

The death toll has not been confirmed by the authorities and is based on figures compiled by the organisation, which provides assistance to homeless people across the country.

Among the victims was a 67-year-old man in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, 400 kilometres south of Buenos Aires, who was found dead on Monday at the entrance to a garage where he used to receive help from local residents.

On Tuesday, another man was found dead in northern Paraná, 500 kilometres northeast of the capital, after spending the night on a park bench.

The body of a baby was also discovered at a rubbish dump in Catamarca, 1,100 kilometres to the northwest, apparently having died of hypothermia, said the NGO.

“This year we’ve already recorded nine deaths since winter began,” said Horacio Ávila, coordinator of Proyecto 7, in an interview with El Destape radio.

In Buenos Aires City, the most recent available official figures (from November 2024) indicated that around 4,000 people are living on the streets.

According to Argentina’s National Meteorological Service, the minimum temperature in Buenos Aires on Wednesday was minus 1.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest recorded since 1991.

In the Greater Buenos Aires area, temperatures dropped to minus 7.4 degrees in El Palomar, the second-lowest since 1935, behind the minus eight degrees recorded in 1967, the service noted.

Electricity demand caused cuts across Buenos Aires, leaving thousands without power for over 24 hours in some areas.

The government suspended gas supplies to industries and petrol stations Wednesday to ensure household supplies, and removed price controls on gas cylinders.

The cold snap, known locally as a “polar wave,” has intensified over the past three days. An unusual surge in electricity demand caused blackouts in parts of Buenos Aires, where thousands of users were left without power – in some areas for over 24 hours.

Officials in the coastal resort of Mar del Plata on Thursday suspended classes at all levels and other activities due to a nationwide and local gas supply cut amid an energy crisis.

Across the country, the coldest city on Wednesday was Maquinchao, a town of 3,000 inhabitants in the province of Río Negro, 1,400 kilometres southwest of Buenos Aires, where the temperature dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, it had fallen as low as minus 18.

In the province of Buenos Aires, the coastal city of Miramar – 450 kilometres south of the capital – saw snowfall on Sunday night, something that had not occurred in 34 years.

Proyecto 7 is active in several areas, but most prominently in Buenos Aires City and Province. The organisation is a lifeline for those living on the streets and houses more than 400 people across its care centres.