BAGHDAD • Another sandstorm that descended yesterday on Iraq sent at least 2,000 people to hospital with breathing problems and led to the closure of airports, schools and public offices.

It is the eighth such storm since mid-April to hit Iraq, which has been battered by soil degradation, intense droughts and low rainfall linked to climate change.

The last one earlier this month led to the death of one person while 5,000 others had to be hospitalised for respiratory problems.

Yesterday, a thick cloud of dust enveloped the capital Baghdad in an orange glow and blanketed many other cities, including the Shi'ite shrine city of Najaf to the south, and Sulaimaniyah in the northern Kurdish autonomous region. Yellow and orange sand covered building roofs, cars and even crept into homes.

Authorities in seven of Iraq's 18 provinces, including Baghdad, ordered government offices to shut.

But health facilities remained open to assist those most at risk, including the elderly and people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases and heart ailments.

At least 2,000 people were admitted to hospitals across Iraq in need of oxygen, said health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr.

AFP reporters saw around 20 patients, mostly elderly men, at Baghdad's Sheikh Zayed Hospital. One of them was Mr Hadi Saada, 70, lying on a bed in the intensive care unit (ICU) hooked to a respirator. He struggled to breathe.

"It is his third time in hospital" since the sandstorms began in April, said his son Mohammed Saada, adding that his father had a heart condition.

At least 75 people struggling to breathe were admitted yesterday to Sheikh Zayed, said Talib Abdelmoneim Nejm, an ICU official.

The sandstorm drastically reduced visibility to just 300m at Baghdad airport, prompting the authorities to close airspace and halt flights, state-run INA news agency reported. Airports in Najaf and Sulaimaniyah were also closed for the day, the agency said.

Schools nationwide were shuttered and end of year exams postponed to today. Universities also delayed exams.

The Middle East has always been battered by dust and sandstorms but they have become more frequent and intense in recent years. The trend has been associated with overuse of river water, more dams, overgrazing and deforestation.

Iraq is classified as one of the world's five countries most vulnerable to climate change and desertification. Last month, an environment ministry official warned that Iraq could face "272 days of dust" a year over the next two decades.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE