A new wave of powerful sandstorms in the Eastern Province has disrupted education and maritime transport in the region and caused 15 road accidents, said Fahd Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of Saudi Red Crescent, while security authorities have urged citizens and residents to take caution.

“They should show extreme caution while driving.”

“The operations room at the Red Crescent in Dammam has received 43 calls in 11 hours since the sandstorm started on Monday with 15 of them related to traffic accidents,” sabq.org quoted Al-Ghamdi as saying.

He said 28 calls were related to diseases caused by the weather. “We have provided first-aid services to 25 patients and transported them to specialized hospitals in the region for further treatment,” he added.

Al-Ghamdi urged citizens to inform the Red Crescent about health problems caused by sandstorms by contacting 997, especially for cases such as asthma and other respiratory problems.

Meanwhile, Border Guards in the region have prevented people from maritime transport and sports due to strong winds that could endanger their lives.

“Commanders at various parts of Corniche are given instructions to take decisions based on the degree of danger in their areas,” one security source said. People have been urged to contact 994 to know about conditions at sea.

In a related development, the Education Department in the Eastern Province suspended studies at schools on Monday due to the sandstorm. “We have suspended studies at boys and girls schools on Monday based on weather reports issued by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment,” said Saeed Al-Bahes, spokesman of the department.