Iraq sandstorm leaves 1,800 people with respiratory problems

By AFP
April 15, 2025
A man crosses a street through low visibility conditions as a massive dust storm advances on Nasiriyah in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province. —AFP/File
A man crosses a street through low visibility conditions as a massive dust storm advances on Nasiriyah in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province. —AFP/File

NAJAF, Iraq: A sandstorm in central and southern Iraq sent more than 1,800 people to hospitals with respiratory problems on Monday, health officials said. Authorities temporarily shut the airports in the southern provinces of Najaf and Basra as the sandstorm -- the biggest this year -- obscured visibility in an every orange cloud.