Alarming footage shows a giant sandstorm engulfing a Chinese city, sparking fires and turning the air into a thick haze.
The giant wall of sand, measuring over 100 metres tall, hit the Zhangye city in Gansu province on the weekend and took over within minutes.
- Stunning image shows 9 major storms threatening Earth
- Typhoon Mangkhut: Alarming footage shows walls topple, bodies thrown in Hong Kong
- Hurricane Florence could be 'worst tropical system in a generation' NIWA warns
Video from the China Meteorological Administration shows the menacing cloud of sand churning towards the helpless city, turning day into dusk.
"In the morning it was sunny. But in the afternoon, a sand wall about 100 metres tall brought by a gale approached our city. The sandstorm instantly swallowed the city," a resident told China News Service.
In some areas visibility dropped to under 10 metres, state television reported. Traffic was forced to slow down and police were deployed to ensure safety.
The air quality was polluted so badly it quickly dropped below the 'hazardous' rating - the maximum level. Residents were forced to wear scarves and dust masks to escape the choking dust.
These storms often occur in China's dry season as loose sand and soil is picked up from the Gobi desert and blown into the cities.
Beijing is planting millions of trees along its border to block out sandstorms as part of the "Great Green Wall" project. But these have come too late for Zhangye, now devoured by the great yellow wall of dust.
Newshub.
