Beijing enveloped in hazardous sandstorm, second time in two weeks

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the city shrouded in smog after a sandstorm, in central Beijing, China March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese capital Beijing woke on Sunday morning shrouded in thick dust carrying extremely high levels of hazardous particles, as a second sandstorm in two weeks hit the city due to winds from drought-hit Mongolia and northwestern China.

Visibility in the city was reduced, with the tops of some skyscrapers obscured by the sandstorm, and pedestrians were forced to cover their eyes as gusts of dust swept through the streets.