In pictures: Mongolia's severe winter

Traditional herder Gonchig lost 150 of his 200 goats and sheep in the dzud, the Mongolian term for a very severe winter following a summer drought. He has just sold two sheep pelts for less than US$1.

Sheep carcasses strewn across stony ground

Millions of animals, particularly sheep, died in the dzud. Temperatures dropped to as low as -50C (-58F).

Two-humped Bactrian camels in desert landscape

Two-humped Bactrian camels are native to Mongolia and critically endangered in the wild, although many more are domesticated. The cold killed significant numbers of them.

Children eating at school in western Mongolian village

UNICEF is helping these children who were trapped in their school in Khaliun Soum, Gobi Altai province. Some of them were unable to reach, or see, their families for months.

The hospital and snowbanks at Khaliunsoum village in Gobi Altai in western Mongolia

The hospital at Khaliun Soum was cut off during the worst months of winter. Patients could not attend and medical supplies could not be delivered. The area was paralysed by snow in the -50C temperatures.

Dead dog in the sand in front of nomadic ger (yurt) homes

This dog died of the cold only a few steps away from the warmth of these nomadic ger homes.

Man and his two sons seated inside a traditional Mongolian dwelling

This family in Gobi Altai in western Mongolia lost all but 24 of their 70 animals.

Husband and wife in front of their last goats in Gobi desert

They are now struggling to survive with their remaining animals.

Monument consisting of rocks, a blue make-shift flag, and a dead horse's head, in the desert in Mongolia

Horses are the most revered animals in Mongolia. This is a memorial monument for a horse that died recently, with its head visible.

Couple in traditional clothes on a bench in the main square of Ulan Bator

Mongolians stay warm outside in their traditional clothing, seen here on Sukhbattar Square, the main square in the capital Ulan Bator.

Parts of Mongolia remain in the grip of the cold, although temperatures are no longer quite as low. You can hear more about Mongolia's cold winter in Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 1 April at 1100 GMT or on Monday 5 April at 2030.