Sandstorm suspends flights as many Iraqis struggle to breathe

A man walks through a sand storm in Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday May 5 2022 (Ali Abdul Hassan/AP)

Hundreds of Iraqis rushed to hospitals with breathing problems and Baghdad’s airport suspended flights for several hours as a thick sandstorm blanketed the country.

Iraqi state media said most of the patients suffered respiratory issues as clinics across the country’s north and west struggled to keep up with the influx.