A powerful sandstorm swept across central and southern Iraq on Monday, sending more than 1,800 people to hospitals with respiratory complications, health officials confirmed.

The sandstorm — the largest to hit the country so far this year — blanketed the skies in a thick, eerie orange haze, prompting the temporary closure of airports in the southern provinces of Najaf and Basra due to severely reduced visibility.

Hospitals across the region struggled to cope with the influx of patients. In Muthanna province, at least 700 individuals were treated for suffocation and breathing difficulties, according to local health official Mazen al-Egeili. Meanwhile, Najaf province reported more than 250 hospitalizations.

Local sources scenes of chaos as police officers and civilians donned face masks in an effort to protect themselves from the dense cloud of dust. In one instance, a young man struggling to breathe was seen being assisted by a paramedic inside an ambulance.

Diwaniyah province also bore the brunt of the storm, with 322 cases of respiratory distress reported, including among children, said Amer al-Kinani of the provincial health department. In the provinces of Dhi Qar and Basra, local health authorities confirmed over 530 similar cases.

Weather services reported that the storm had reduced visibility to less than one kilometre (0.62 miles), although conditions are expected to gradually improve by Tuesday morning.

Iraq, known for its blistering summer heat and frequent sandstorms, has been ranked by the United Nations among the five countries most affected by the impacts of climate change. In 2022, a similar storm left one person dead and over 5,000 hospitalized due to respiratory complications.

The Ministry of Environment has issued repeated warnings about the increasing frequency of such events, cautioning that Iraq could face a growing number of "dust days" in the coming decades as a result of desertification, declining water levels, and broader climate instability.

As Iraq continues to grapple with environmental challenges, the latest sandstorm serves as another stark reminder of the pressing need for sustainable climate and water management strategies in the region. (ILKHA)