Over 3,700 individuals have been admitted to hospitals in Iraq due to respiratory issues following a sandstorm that has swept across the nation.
Reports from AFP photographers indicate that visibility dropped to under one kilometre in central and southern cities as the storm enveloped the area.
The airports in Basra and Najaf were closed throughout the duration of the storm, which began to subside this morning.
According to health ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr, Basra was the most affected province, responsible for over 1,000 of the 3,747 hospitalizations linked to the sandstorm.
Numerous individuals venturing outdoors in Basra wore face masks to shield themselves from the dust, as reported by an AFP photographer.
While sandstorms are a recurring aspect of life in central and southern Iraq, the environment ministry has cautioned that the nation may face an increasing number of “dust days” in the coming decades as a result of global warming.
A severe sandstorm in 2022 resulted in one fatality and over 5,000 people receiving treatment in hospitals for breathing complications.
