Flights cancelled during China's worst sandstorm in decades
Beijing,
Mar
15:
China's
capital
and
a
wide
swath
of
the
country''s
north
were
enveloped
Monday
in
the
worst
sandstorm
in
a
decade,
leading
to
the
cancelation
of
hundreds
of
flights.
Skyscrapers
in
the
center
of
Beijing
appeared
to
drop
from
sight
amid
the
dust
and
sand.
Traffic
was
snarled
and
more
than
400
flights
out
of
the
capital''s
two
main
airports
were
canceled
before
noon.
Such storms used to occur regularly in the springtime as sand from western deserts blew eastwards, affecting areas as far as northern Japan.
Massive planting of trees and bushes in fragile areas has reduced the storms'' intensity, but the expansion of cities and industries has put constant pressure on the environment throughout China.
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The National Meteorological Center forecasted the sand and dust would affect 12 provinces and regions from Xinjiang in the far northwest to Heilongjiang in the northeast and the eastern coastal port city of Tianjin.
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"This is the most intense sandstorm weather our country has seen in 10 years, as well as it covering the broadest area," the center said in a post on its website.