Middle East News: Sandstorm blankets parts of region again – Gulf Digital News

Middle East News: Sandstorm blankets parts of region again – Gulf Digital News

BAGHDAD: A sandstorm blanketed parts of the Middle East yesterday, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria, sending people to hospitals and disrupting flights in some places.

It was the latest in a series of unprecedented nearly back-to-back sandstorms this year that have bewildered residents and raised alarm among experts and officials, who blame climate change and poor governmental regulations.

From Riyadh to Tehran, bright orange skies and a thick veil of grit signalled yet another stormy day yesterday. Sandstorms are typical in late spring and summer, spurred by seasonal winds. But this year they have occurred nearly every week in Iraq since March.

Holiday

Iraqi authorities declared the day a national holiday, urging government workers and residents to stay home in anticipation of the 10th storm to hit the country in the last two months. The Health Ministry stockpiled canisters of oxygen at facilities in hard-hit areas, according to a statement.

The storms have sent thousands to hospitals and resulted in at least one death in Iraq and three in Syria’s east.

For the second time this month, Kuwait International Airport suspended all flights because of the dust.

The massive plume of dust hovering over Kuwait reduced visibility to almost zero across the country.

In Syria, medical