Cold Weather Kills Dozens In Mexico

Snow, ice and freezing temperatures have killed more than 80 people and left thousands hospitalized in a recent cold wave that has spread south from the U.S. border to the Yucatan Peninsula.

The worst cold has been in the mountainous northern state of Chihuahua, where many peasants live in drafty huts and are too poor to afford warm blankets. Temperatures there dipped below 3 degrees on Wednesday. Eight inches of snow fell near the border with Texas.

Officials say about 70 people, including 30 children, have died from the cold in Chihuahua. They blamed the deaths on pneumonia, freezing and carbon monoxide poisoning from kerosene or gas heaters.

The cold weather began a month ago but intensified over the past week. Forecasters expect it to continue.