![A view of the park amid yellow dust during a sandstorm in Najaf, Iraq on 20 April 2022 [Karar Essa/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AA-20220420-27620435-27620429-SANDSTORM_IN_IRAQS_NAJAF.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Classes at schools in Iraq were suspended for one day due to a heavy sandstorm, the Education Ministry said Monday, and Anadolu News Agency reports.
The Ministry said in a statement that the heavy sandstorm, which started in the morning in many cities, including the capital, Baghdad, negatively affected life. Dozens of people at risk of suffocation were hospitalised.
On 5 May, one person died and more than 5,000 needed treatment for breathing problems after a powerful sandstorm swept through the country.