Sandstorms whip across China
Cities across China are being battered by spring sandstorms, forcing residents to cover their faces with masks and scarves to protect against the swirling grit.
The sandstorms today swept across a wide swath of northern and central China. In Beijing, the capital’s skyscrapers were shrouded in a greyish mix of sand, dust and pollution. The US Embassy in Beijing warned that particulate matter in the air made conditions “hazardous”.
Overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought have led to the expansion of deserts in China’s west, which causes sandstorms each spring.
State television urged viewers to clean out their noses with salt water and remove grit from ears with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol.
