Sandstorm sends more than 500 people to hospital in Iraq
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 500 people across Iraq were hospitalized after a sandstorm enveloped the country on Friday, the health ministry announced on Saturday.
Said al-Badr, spokesperson for the ministry, told Iraq’s state media that hospitals across the country received 515 people with breathing difficulties. There were no deaths and most of the patients have been discharged.
The first dust storm of the year swept across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, on Friday.
A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative last month predicted that Iraq will be plagued by sandstorms this summer after dozens of storms last year, and said urgent action is needed to combat environmental devastation.
Desertification caused by climate change and misuse of land and water resources have contributed to more frequent sandstorms. Iraq is considered the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity.
Said al-Badr, spokesperson for the ministry, told Iraq’s state media that hospitals across the country received 515 people with breathing difficulties. There were no deaths and most of the patients have been discharged.
The first dust storm of the year swept across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, on Friday.
A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative last month predicted that Iraq will be plagued by sandstorms this summer after dozens of storms last year, and said urgent action is needed to combat environmental devastation.
Desertification caused by climate change and misuse of land and water resources have contributed to more frequent sandstorms. Iraq is considered the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity.