A powerful sandstorm has spread across parts of Mongolia and China, affecting more than 400 million people in China alone, according to local authorities, who estimate the affected area at almost 2.3 million square kilometers.
The office responsible for supervising the forests in China has confirmed that 15 regions have been affected by this storm, which practically limits visibility to a few tens of meters. Among the affected areas is the capital, Beijing, according to the official newspaper ‘Global Times’.
Meteorologists attribute the phenomenon to the coincidence of a cyclone with strong winds and a cold front, after a period with higher temperatures that favored the lifting of sand. The lack of precipitation also favors this type of storms.
Authorities had already detected an outbreak of these phenomena since the beginning of the year and the National Meteorological Center has issued an alert to urge the population to take extreme precautions. Thus, they urge citizens to cover their mouth and nose and even their eyes to avoid possible damages.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
