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Sandstorm in Baghdad: Hundreds have breathing problems
Photo: AHMED JALIL/EPA
More than 5,000 people with breathing problems have been taken to hospital in Iraq after a sandstorm.
One person died as a result, reports the state news agency INA, citing the Ministry of Health.
More than 2,000 treatments were counted in the capital Baghdad alone.
Asthmatics and the elderly are particularly affected.
Despite rumors to the contrary on social media, air traffic is continuing despite the storm, reports INA, citing the civil aviation authority.
The sandstorm wrapped six of the 18 Iraqi provinces in a dense cloud of dust on Thursday morning, and the greater Baghdad area was also affected.
It was the seventh sandstorm in a month.
According to state media, the authorities in Al-Anbar and in the province of Kirkuk north of the capital asked people not to go outside if possible.
There are always sandstorms in Iraq.
Strong north-west winds blow over the Tigris and Euphrates river floodplains in the desert region, especially in summer.
However, Iraq is also increasingly struggling with drought.
Last year, the country experienced one of the worst droughts in decades.
In addition to climate change, a misguided water policy is to blame.
The dust particles from the storms significantly worsen the air quality.
According to meteorologists, the country is also expecting sandstorms in the coming months.
ptz/AFP