Latest news with #Farisal-Azzawi
Rudaw Net
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Rudaw Net
Around 550 hospitalized across Iraq due to intense dust storm
Also in Iraq Seven dead, 53 infected with hemorrhagic fever across Iraq: Health ministry Iraqi defense ministry sues Kirkuk Kurdish farmer over insult allegation Halabja becomes Iraq's 19th province Turkmen MP urges end to Baghdad-Erbil trade restrictions, warns of empty markets A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly 550 people have been hospitalized across Iraq on Monday as a severe dust storm swept through several provinces, causing widespread respiratory issues, health officials confirmed. In Kirkuk, 94 people were admitted to hospitals with dust-related complications, according to Saman Yaba, spokesperson for the province's health directorate. In the north-central Salahaddin province, around 55 people - primarily elderly individuals and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions - were transferred to local hospitals for treatment. Rudaw has learned that the number of affected persons in the province is expected to rise further as the storm continues. Meanwhile, in Diyala province, located in eastern Iraq, over 400 people were hospitalized due to respiratory distress. Faris al-Azzawi, spokesperson for the Diyala Health Department, told Rudaw that all medical institutions in the province are fully prepared to receive and treat additional patients. Earlier on Monday, Amer al-Jabri, spokesperson for Iraq's Meteorology and Seismology Directorate, reported that the dust storm is most intense in the central and western regions of Iraq,with a lesser impact anticipated in the north. He added that wind speeds could reach between 30 and 50 kilometers per hour, reducing visibility to as low as four kilometers. Dust storms are a recurring phenomenon in Iraq, but their frequency and severity have increased due to prolonged drought, desertification, and rising temperatures. According to Baghdad's environment ministry, Iraq has experienced an average of 272 dusty days per year over the past two decades - a figure projected to climb to 300 days annually by 2050. Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Poor water management and dam construction in upstream nations have significantly reduced the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, further exacerbating environmental degradation. The United Nations has called for urgent measures to combat Iraq's worsening climate crisis.
Shafaq News
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Hundreds fight for breath: Iraq choked by deadly dust
Shafaq News/ A severe dust storm swept across northern Iraq on Monday, hospitalizing hundreds and triggering a fatal crash, health and security officials reported. In Diyala province, over 300 people were treated for respiratory distress, Faris al-Azzawi, spokesperson for the provincial Health Directorate, told Shafaq News, adding, 'No critical cases have been recorded so far.' A traffic collision killed three people and injured five. 'The crash was directly caused by low visibility during the storm,' a local security source said. Meanwhile, in Kirkuk, at least 30 residents were hospitalized after the storm advanced from neighboring Saladin province. Iraq experiences seasonal dust storms from late spring through summer, though forecasters expect milder conditions in the second half of May, according to an Iraqi meteorologist.
