The Kayhan daily said “yellow sand rained in Khuzestan,” where the rate of air pollution reached 70 times the permitted amount. It said 123 people were hospitalised in the nearby province of Ilam, also bordering Iraq.
Authorities in six western provinces, including Khuzestan and Ilam, were forced to suspend school and university activities and shut down government offices, Tehran Emrouz daily reported.
Air traffic was partially affected in the country, with incoming flights and departures cancelled in some western cities, according to Hamshahri newspaper.
