A heavy sandstorm choked Baghdad on Sunday, closing the Iraqi capital's airport and sending dozens of people to hospital with respiratory problems. Some shops in the city were closed and only a few cars were seen on the deserted streets. Visibility was only a few yards and most of those on the streets wore surgical masks. Doctors at the city's hospitals said people were coming in complaining about shortness of breath and other problems. Doctor Adul-Basit Fathi, Director General of Ibn al-Nafis hospital said medical staff were fully prepared to treat people suffering from breathing problems arising from sandstorms.
vid at link, but no awesome footage of the storm coming in. :-(
Also:
Iraq's oil ministry said an event to announce the names of foreign and large state-owned firms awarded major contracts has been delayed by one day from Monday because of sandstorms in Baghdad. "Bad weather prevented the representatives of the oil companies and media from landing in Baghdad, so we decided to delay by one day," ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told AFP. "The meeting will now start on Tuesday and if necessary continue into the following day."