Worst sandstorm in a decade sweeps across China
BEIJING – North China and the country’s capital city were blanketed in thick bands of dust Monday caused by the worst sandstorm to engulf the area in more than a decade.
Hundreds of flights at Beijing’s two airports were canceled, traffic was snarled and skyscrapers dropped from view because of low visibility caused by high winds filled with sand from a storm emanating from the Gobi Desert in the Inner Mongolia Region, The Associated Press reported.
The sandstorms reportedly caused six deaths and the disappearances of dozens of other people in Mongolia, the BBC reported.
Outdoor events at schools were canceled and people with respiratory issues were urged to stay inside, AFP reported. Residents used goggles, masks and hairnets to withstand the thick yellow smog.
“This is the most intense sandstorm weather our country has seen in 10 years, as well as it covering the broadest area,” the National Meteorological Center said on social media.
People ride bicycles across an intersection amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
People wearing face masks walk across a street as capital city is hit by polluted air and sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
People ride bicycles across an intersection amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Employees line up at a security checkpoint outside the China Central Television (CCTV) building amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A woman wearing a face mask walks across a street as capital city is hit by polluted air and a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Cars drive along an expressway amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Residents make their way through a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A woman walks along a pedestrian bridge amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A man pauses as he walks his dogs during a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
People wait to cross an intersection amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A cyclist and motorists move past office buildings amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A cyclist and a woman move past vehicles on a street as capital city is hit by polluted air and sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Residents make their way through a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus stands against the China Central Television (CCTV) building as capital city is hit by polluted air and a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A woman walks by office buildings amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A man wearing a face mask rubs his eyes on a street amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
People walk across a street as capital city is hit by polluted air and sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Commuters walk along a sidewalk amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A resident rides through a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A woman walks her dogs during a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A resident tries to cover his face as he rides through a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A man wearing a face mask waits to cross a street amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in the central business district in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Residents make their way through a sandstorm in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A woman wearing a face mask reacts from a sandstorm as she walks across a street in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Cars are driven along a street amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing’s skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The agency forecast the storm to affect 12 provinces, including Xinjiang in the northwest, Heilongjiang in the northeast and Tianjin on the eastern coast.
The storms were a regular occurrence during spring. Sand would blow as far as northern Japan. Tree planting and other reforestation efforts have reduced the storms in some parts of the country, but industrial expansion, including strip mining and overgrazing, continues to help fuel them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
