Massive sandstorm sweeps through a city turning it into an unearthly red and grey landscape.
The air was so thick with dust that it apparently blocked the sun as the storm hit Ulanqab City in inner Mongolia.
City officials had to turn on street lights as day turned to night in a matter of minutes, reported local media.
Video footage of the storm shows that the sand was so thick in the air that it was barely possible to see from one side of the street to the other.
Astonishingly the storm raged for three days after striking at 3pm on 10th April before spreading to other parts of China.
The local Siziwang Banner Meteorological Station issued a level red storm warning.
They said: “The main source of dust in Beijing and other regions that the moment is the Mongolian desert and the Gobi desert.
“It is caused by the Mongolian cyclone with the cold air behind it moving eastward, and the strong winds rolled up the dust and transport it through the high altitude, moving southward and eastward.”
A spokesman for the weather station said: “The main source of dust in Beijing and other regions that the moment is the Mongolian desert and the Gobi desert.
“It is caused by the Mongolian cyclone with the cold air behind it moving eastward, and the strong winds rolled up the dust and transport it through the high altitude, moving southward and eastward.”
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Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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