Sandstorm suffocates thousands, suspends flights
Sandstorm hit Iraq
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A strong sandstorm hit most areas of Iraq Wednesday night causing thousands to be suffocated and suspended flights in Sulaymaniyah International Airport in Kurdistan.
“The storm caused dozens across the country to be hospitalized due to respiratory problems,” said spokesperson of Iraqi Ministry of Health Saif al-Badr in a press statement.
Yarmouk Hospital in Baghdad announced Thursday that it received more than 500 patients suffering from suffocation because of the dust storm started the day before. 80 percent of the patients left the hospital after receiving the required treatment and no deaths were recorded.
In a related development, Sulaymaniyah International Airport in Kurdistan announced Thursday the suspension of flights due to the bad weather caused by the sandstorm that hit the country.
The administration of the airport, in a brief statement, explained that air traffic has stopped for the day due to weather conditions and low visibility.
The statement added that air traffic will be back to its normal condition once weather conditions improve.
Amer al-Jabri, an official at Iraq’s meteorological office, explained that the dust storm will gradually disappear on Saturday afternoon.
Sandstorms are frequent in the semi-desert country especially in spring. Dust storms may increase because of the dry weather and lack of rain, the thing that weakens the vegetation cover that mitigates the effects of storms.