Intense snow and below zero temperatures have killed at least 9 Argentines from hypothermia this week. While thermometers in Patagonia dropped as low as -14°C, Jujuy experienced the most fatalities, sending the northwestern province into a state of emergency as its most important roads have been blocked off by up to 30cm of snow.

The National Meteorological Service predicts that the extreme cold front will start to gradually abate on Monday.

But this still leaves many people at risk, according to Red Solidaria, a government organization that has been charged with protecting Argentines from the cold front, especially the poverty-stricken. The group has dispatched more than 300 volunteers to assist the estimated 200,000 Argentines who live on the street, distributing electric blankets, winter jackets, and soup.

In addition to the fatalities due to hypothermia, 33 people have died from carbon monoxide inhalation this year, due to faulty heating systems and precarious living spaces without adequate ventilation.

The cold front killed two in Bolivia, one in Paraguay, and one in Uruguay as well.