ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Massive dust storms engulfed several Iraqi cities on Monday, with Kirkuk and Diyala experiencing particularly severe conditions, resulting in hundreds of hospitalizations across the two provinces. 

A severe sandstorm on Monday swept through Iraq, lending a yellow hue to several Iraqi cities, reducing visibility, and exacerbating air quality, leading to breathing problems that saw over 400 hospital admissions across Diyala and more than 90 others in Kirkuk.

Diyala health directorate spokesperson Faris al-Azzawi told The New Region that the majority of the cases were people suffering from respiratory diseases and the elderly.

“Health measures have been taken for all cases, and there are no risks or indications of dangerous cases as a result of the storm so far,” Azzawi added.

Kirkuk’s health directorate confirmed to The New Region that at least 94 people were hospitalized in the province due to the heavy storm.

Iraq, with its vast deserts and diminishing rainfall has grown prone to sandstorms, especially in recent times, owing to rising temperatures and climatic change.

In mid-April, the country was enveloped by another storm that put around 3,700 people in hospitals and resulted in the temporary closure of Basra and Najaf airports for the duration of the storm.

Iraq’s Meteorological Organization revealed in a statement on Monday that “the dust density is expected to gradually decrease during the night hours,” adding that some levels of dust might linger in the atmosphere on Tuesday especially in the northern and eastern parts of the country.