Shafaq News- Najaf
More than 365 suffocation cases were recordedafter a powerful dust storm swept through Najaf province in southern Iraq,Abdullah Al-Ghazali, head of the province’s Health Directorate, said on Monday.
Al-Ghazali confirmed that all patients receivedthe necessary treatment and were later discharged without any deaths recorded. Healthinstitutions across Najaf mobilized emergency measures, supplying hospitalswith allergy and asthma medications alongside sufficient oxygen stocks. Ambulance teams were also instructed to respond rapidly to urgent cases.
Authorities had initially reported 65 suffocation cases earlier today afterthe storm swept across western Iraq, spreading through Al-Anbar before reachingBabil and Baghdad.
Iraq has experienced a sharp rise in dust storms during the 2025season, with repeated waves disrupting daily life, grounding flights, andsending thousands to hospitals with respiratory problems. Environmental expertslink the worsening storms to drought, desertification, declining vegetationcover, and climate change, warning that Iraq is becoming increasinglyvulnerable to extreme weather events.
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