Severe sandstorm engulfs Middle East
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 9, 2015
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The West Bank city of Bethlehem is engulfed by sandstorm on Sept. 8, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] |
Israelis woke up to see a yellow-toned skies as the sandstorm, originating in the area of Iraq, reached Israel on Tuesday, along with neighboring countries Syria and Lebanon.
The Environmental Protection Ministry issued a warning, calling on the elderly, young, pregnant women and people of all ages who suffer from respiratory problems to stay indoors, as especially high rates of pollution were measured across the country.
The ministry also called on schools nationwide to keep children indoors as much as possible, as the high dust concentration in the air may cause health hazards.
No injuries were reported by the Israeli medical services, except for several dozen asthma patients who were treated at the Ziv Medical Center in the northern town of Safed.
Furthermore, due to bad visibility conditions, internal flights between Eilat in southern Israel and Tel Aviv have been canceled for the remainder of the day.
The sandstorm is unusual and caught weathermen in Israel off-guard, as these storms usually take place in the winter and originate from Africa, the meteo-tech meteorological service explained.
The storm is expected to disperse by Tuesday evening, whereas the heatwave Israel is experiencing since Monday is expected to remain in place until the weekend.
Xinhua contributed to the story.
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