KABUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have claimed at least four lives in Afghanistan's western Herat province, a provincial government spokesman said Friday night.

Three Afghan nationals attempting to illegally cross into neighboring Iran died from exposure to snowfall and extreme cold in Kohsan district, according to Mohammad Yusuf Sayedi, spokesman for the provincial government.

A shepherd also succumbed to the severe cold in the same district, the official added. ■