Baghdad, May 23 (UNI/Sputnik) A heavy sandstorm tore through Iraq on Monday, resulting in hundreds being hospitalized with impaired breathing and the temporary closure of all airports, Iraqi media reported.
As 'hundreds' flocked to the hospitals with symptoms of suffocation due to the sand storm in Baghdad, resuscitation brigades started patrolling residential areas to provide assistance, Shafaq News reported.
The Iraqi government declared a day off in the state institutions and ordered all airports to suspend operations, the agency added.
The sandstorm decreased flight visibility in Iraq to 400 meters (1,300 feet) on Monday morning. Baghdad International Airport and several other airports resumed flights in the afternoon, once visibility recovered to 650 meters, the state-run news agency INA reported, citing the Iraqi Ministry of Transport.
Sandstorms have been hitting Iraq for more than a month, causing serious health problems among population. After one of the most powerful storms in early May, over 5,000 people reported breathing troubles, which included choking, and one patient died.
UNI/SPUTNIK VP RKM