At least one dead and 5,000 hospitalised with breathing difficulties as vast sandstorm sweeps across Iraq

Residents of six of Iraq’s 18 provinces, including Baghdad and the vast western region of Al-Anbar, awoke once again to a thick cloud of dust blanketing the sky.

Duststorms have increased dramatically in frequency in Iraq in recent years, driven by soil degradation and intense droughts made worse by climate change, with rising average temperatures and sharply lower rainfall.

One person died in Iraq and more than 5,000 were treated in hospitals Thursday for respiratory problems