3 Airports In Iraq Operate Again After Closed Due To Severe Speed

Illustration of airline aircraft landing at an airport. (Unsplash-jramos10)

JAKARTA - Iraq's Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) reopened Baghdad International Airport on Thursday 11 December afternoon local time after being closed for 12 hours due to extreme weather.

According to INA news agency quoted from AFP, authorities announced the closure of Baghdad Airport at around 12.30 a.m. today due to bad weather and severe fog that reduces visibility.

Najaf Airport in central Iraq and Sulaimaniyah in the northern Kurdistan region were also closed due to similar factors. However, the operations of the two airports have reopened today.

Heavy rains over the past two days have caused flooding in several areas in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan's autonomous region.

Local authorities said flooding in the north killed at least three people, including a child.

Due to extreme weather, the main bridge connecting the northern city of Kirkuk to Baghdad also collapsed.

Authorities hope heavy rains will help ease the drought-hit water shortage in Iraq, once water reserves in artificial lakes hit their lowest level in the country's history recently following the dry season.

Iraq, which has been heavily affected by climate change, has been hit by drought and low rainfall over the years.