Four Bangladeshi workers died from suffocation as a result of faulty heating in their room in a mountainous region north of Lebanon.

The four were found dead on Saturday in the Dinniyeh region, reports the Associated Press (AP).

The Middle East has been hit hard with a severe winter storm since Tuesday, affecting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees living in tents around the region.

The latest deaths raise to seven the number of people killed by the weather in Lebanon since Tuesday, including three Syrians.

Activists say several people died in Syria as well because of the storm.

AP/LY