According to the country's Ministry of Health, more than 700 people have been admitted to hospitals with symptoms of suffocation. The disaster disrupted the operation of Najaf and Basra airports (the second largest airport in the country). kommersant.ru.

Due to the storm, visibility decreased to a distance of less than one kilometer. The General Directorate of Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring of the Ministry of Transport of Iraq reported that the cities in the south and in the center of Iraq were hardest hit. According to the agency, the sandstorm is coming from eastern Saudi Arabia and southwestern Iraq.

According to experts quoted climate change in the world.by Asharq Al-Awsat, the number of dust storms in Iraq may become higher. The publication recalls that the UN has considered Iraq one of the five countries most affected by