BEIRUT- The Daily Star A suffocating sand storm hit Lebanon Tuesday, leading to 130 cases of asphyxiation or shortness of breath in the northern and eastern parts of the country, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.
LRC called on citizens who have asthma to stay indoors.
“We advise citizens who suffer from asthma to stay home,” Lebanese Red Cross wrote on its official Twitter account.
Dust and fog enveloped the capital Beirut and other parts of Lebanon. Poor visibility led motorists to drive slowly.
A source at Beirut airport said the storm could delay flights but the impact is still uncertain.
The storm disrupted life in an unprecedented fashion, closing down most businesses and restaurants in the northern city of Tripoli.
The yellow-tinted skies prevented residents of the northern Akkar province and the Baalbek-Hermel district in the east from their daily commute, as cars and properties were covered in a thick layer of sand.
The weather department at Beirut airport said the storm, coming from Iraq, will continue throughout the day with chances of rain in the northern Bekaa Valley around midday.
The storm is expected to subside Wednesday.
PHOTO: Syrian children walking amid the dust during a sandstorm on Sept 7, 2015, at a refugee camp on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek.
CREDIT: AFP / STRINGER.
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