Baghdad airport reopens after weather disruption

• Baghdad International Airport reopened on Thursday after a 12-hour closure due to dense fog and poor visibility, which also temporarily shut down Najaf and Sulaimaniyah airports.
• The closure followed two days of heavy rain that caused flooding and killed at least three people in northern Iraq, but authorities expressed hope the precipitation would help alleviate the country's severe water shortages.

Baghdad International Airport reopened Thursday after a 12-hour halt due to bad weather, the transport ministry said.

Authorities announced at around 12:30 am (2130 GMT) they had temporarily shut Baghdad airport to air traffic because of poor weather conditions and fog that drastically reduced visibility.

Other airports, Najaf in central Iraq and Sulaimaniyah in the northern Kurdistan region, were also closed.

The transport ministry said at midday Thursday the "airspace has been reopened" at Baghdad and Najaf airports, according to the official INA press agency.

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

Floods in the north killed at least three people, including a child, according to local authorities. A key bridge connecting the northern city of Kirkuk to Baghdad also collapsed.

Authorities hope the heavy rains will help alleviate water shortages in drought-stricken Iraq, after water reserves in artificial lakes hit their lowest levels in the country's recent history following a dry season.

Iraq, heavily impacted by climate change, has been ravaged for years by drought and low rainfall.