Ninth sandstorm in less than two months shuts down much of Iraq

Bedouin shepherds outside Najaf in the sandstorm. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Iraq closed public buildings and temporarily shut airports on Monday as the ninth sandstorm since mid-April descended.

More than 1,000 people were hospitalised with respiratory problems, the health ministry said. Flights were also grounded in neighbouring Kuwait for a second time this month. The second heavy sandstorm in less than a week also descended on Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.