Sandstorm causes panic in Iraq, more than 4,000 people hospitalised

More than 4,000 people were hospitalised after a sand storm hit Iraq on Monday. It is the eighth dust storm since mid-April to hit Iraq. The patients hospitalised were having trouble breathing due to the storm. The mid-east country has been battered by soil degradation, intense droughts and low rainfall linked to climate change.

At the beginning of May, a similar sand storm broke out in Iraq, in which one person was killed, while 5000 people were hospitalised. The storm that hit Iraq on Monday, made it difficult for people there to even breathe. Airports, schools and offices here have been closed due to the storm.

Read | Amid severe heatwave, Delhi may witness thunderstorm and dust storm

According to reports, the storm that hit on Monday rose so fast that the capital Baghdad was covered with clouds of dust. The effect of the storm is also being seen in other cities of Iraq including Shia-dominated Najaf in southern Iraq and northern Kurds.

Due to the sandstorm, buildings, roofs of houses and cars were seen covered with sand. In view of the storm, officials have ordered the closure of 7 government offices in the country's 18 provinces, including the capital Baghdad. Such sand storms often occur in Iraq.

The sand storm has created trouble for the elderly and people suffering from asthma and heart disease. Therefore, the government has decided to keep hospitals open for them. Saif al-Badr, a spokesman for Iraq's Ministry of Health, has informed that 4,000 people have been admitted to various hospitals. Many people have been kept in ICU.

(With Agency Inputs)