ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A severe dust storm sweeping Iraq and the Kurdistan Region has resulted in five deaths in Salahaddin province’s Tuz Khurmatu along with hundreds of hospitalizations in Erbil and Sulaimani.
“Five civilians have died of dust in Khurmatu and others have suffered from strain and are receiving treatment due to the density of the dust,” Sherwan Abdulrahim, the assistant director of Khurmatu hospital, told Rudaw on Friday.
In the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil, 222 civilians were admitted to the city's emergency hospitals after suffering from breathing problems that arose from the dust storm, according to a statement from Erbil’s health directorate on Friday.
Another 45 people were hospitalized in Sulaimani, the city’s health directorate told Rudaw.
Abdulrahim added that the five casualties are among 21 people who had been taken to the hospital as a result of the dust storm.
The skies of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region were blanketed by a thick layer of dust on Thursday, leading to impaired breathing, reduced visibility, and making driving difficult.
Abdulrahim described the situation as a “rare incident,” and urged people “not to leave the house for much work, and to put on masks when they come out.”
In Kirkuk, 90 cases of breathing difficulties were recorded with people admitted to the city’s hospitals.
Last month, over a thousand people were hospitalized due to breathing problems in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad following a heavy dust storm that engulfed the city.
Climate change is a major factor in the increased frequency of dust waves. According to statistics recorded by the General Meteorological Authority, the number of dusty days increased from 243 to 272 days per year over the past two decades, and is expected to reach 300 dusty days annually in 2050.
Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, with rising temperatures and water shortages posing a serious threat to the country.
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