Hundreds of Mongolians braved frigid weather on Monday to stage a protest in the country's capital demanding that the government do more to address worsening air pollution that they fear is sickening their children and shortening their lives.

The demonstrators gathered in a public square in front of government offices, holding banners with slogans such as "Let's give fresh air to our future children", "Smog is silent killer" and "We can't breathe".

The air temperature hovered around -20 C.