Sandstorm in Iran sends 95 people to hospital

Tehran: Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency says 95 people were taken to hospitals after suffering breathing problems during a sand-and-dust storm in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan.

Tuesday’s report quotes Abdul Rahman Shahnavazi, the provincial director general of disaster management, as saying that 68 people were treated and released overnight while 27 remain hospitalised.

Mehr says the sandstorm hit the province on Monday, with wind speeds of up to 115 kilometres per hour, or about 71 miles per hour. It says that particulate matter concentration - the concentration of small solid and liquid particles potentially harmful - is 30 times above standard acceptable levels.

Iran, like many neighboring countries, suffers from sandstorms that occasionally affect many parts of the country, including central parts and the capital, Tehran.