BBC World Service
Greater than 1,000 folks have been left with respiratory issues after a sandstorm swept throughout Iraq’s central and southern components of the nation, well being officers mentioned.
One official in Muthanna province reported to the AFP information company at the least 700 instances of what they mentioned was suffocation.
Footage shared on-line confirmed areas cloaked in a thick orange haze, with native media reporting energy cuts and the suspension of flights in a lot of areas.
Mud storms are frequent in Iraq, however some consultants imagine they’re turning into extra frequent on account of local weather change.
Getty PhotographsPedestrians and police wore face masks to guard themselves from the mud and paramedics had been on website to help folks with problem respiratory, in accordance with AFP.
Hospitals in Muthanna province in southern Iraq obtained at the least “700 instances of suffocation”, an area well being official mentioned.
Greater than 250 folks had been taken to hospital in Najaf province, and at the least 322 sufferers together with kids had been despatched to hospitals in Diwaniyah province.
An extra 530 folks reported respiratory points in Dhi Qar and Basra provinces.
The sandstorm blanketed Iraq’s southern provinces in an orange cloud that decreased visibility to lower than one kilometre (0.62 mile).
Getty PhotographsThe authorities had been compelled to close down airports within the provinces of Najaf and Basra.
Circumstances are anticipated to regularly enhance by Tuesday morning, in accordance with native climate providers.
Iraq is listed by the UN as one of many 5 international locations most weak to local weather change because it encounters common sandstorms, sweltering warmth and water shortage.
A extreme sandstorm in 2022 left one individual lifeless and greater than 5,000 needing therapy for respiratory sicknesses.
Iraq can be experiencing extra “mud days” sooner or later, in accordance with its atmosphere ministry.
