A cold snap across a swathe of Latin America has left dozens dead across several countries, as the region shivers through its winter season.

In Argentina, 33 people died as polar air sent temperatures down to around minus 14 Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) in the center of the country.

Many of the victims of the chilly weather in Argentina were homeless people who died on the streets of the capital city Buenos Aires.

In Paraguay, the Health Ministry reported nine people died of hypothermia and another three were killed after inhaling toxic fumes from coal-burning ovens.

The Rural Association of Paraguay estimated that 1,000 cattle died in the freezing temperatures, particularly in the north of the country, while the country's meteorological authorities warned cold weather and rain were expected to continue for the rest of the week.

The southern cone of South America is now at the peak of its winter season, but the temperatures being experienced in a number of countries in the region are unusually harsh.

In tropical areas of Bolivia, where temperatures rarely dip below a balmy 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), the mercury hovered around freezing, and at least four people were reported dead from the cold.

Although there were no reported deaths in Chile, parts of the country reported unusually heavy snowfall, even in generally temperate areas.

earlier related report

Death toll from typhoon in Philippines rises to 79
Manila (AFP) July 21, 2010 –

The death toll from Typhoon Conson in the Philippines rose to 79 on Wednesday as more drowned bodies were recovered, authorities said.

Seventy-four people also remained missing a week after the typhoon hit, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said on its website.

The tally was up from 76 dead and 72 missing recorded on Tuesday.

The new fatalities and missing were among fishermen who were either found dead or went missing in the Bulacan area, just outside the capital, the website said, without elaborating.

Conson slammed into the country on July 13, directly hitting Manila as it cut westward into the South China Sea with a ferocity that caught weather forecasters by surprise.

The storm then killed at least three people in China and Vietnam.

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