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A massive sandstorm is seen sweeping through the city of Zhangye in northwest China's Gansu province.
A massive sandstorm is seen sweeping through the city of Zhangye in northwest China's Gansu province.
The People's Daily posted footage of the sandstorm advancing through Gansu's Zhangye city to its social media accounts on Sunday. The mass reached 100 metres and blotted out the blue sky as it moved through the city, according to the newspaper and the footage.
Wu Ping, a 58-year-old retiree living in Zhangye, said the sandstorm hit the city around mid-afternoon Sunday.
"The dust storm reached when I was just walking out of my home so I ran back and stayed at home for the rest of the afternoon. I could not see anything through my window. Visibility was very low," he told Bloomberg News by phone from Zhangye.
"Usually we have dust storm here in spring, not in winter. This is probably the worst dust storm I have seen in 10 years."
Comment: It was reported that rainfall of more than 350 mm (14 inches) fell around Ho Chi Minh City (commonly known as Saigon) causing widespread flooding and travel disruption.
According to Le Dinh Quyet from the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Center, the bout of rain caused by Usagi was the longest and heaviest ever recorded in Saigon history.
See also: Falling tree kills man as severe floods again hit Saigon, Vietnam