Chinese city of Dunhuang vanishes as it is swallowed by gigantic wall of sand hundreds of feet high

Chinese city vanishes as it is swallowed by gigantic wall of sand hundreds of feet high

  • The ancient city of Dunhuang was engulfed by an enormous wall of sand Sunday
  • Footage shows high rise buildings disappearing beneath the cloud of dust 
  • Police were forced to shut down major roads and ask motorists to wait out the storm in service areas as visibility plummeted to less than 20 feet
  • The Silk Road city is home to the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

A Chinese city is engulfed by a gigantic wall of sand hundreds of feet high in footage straight out of a disaster movie.

A video shows the city of Dunhuang vanishing between the more than 300 feet wall of sand that blew in from the Gobi Desert on Sunday.

The apocalyptic scene was filmed by a resident who shared the scary clip on Twitter.

In it, high rise buildings disappear from view as the enormous cloud of dust slowly moves into the city. 

Police were forced to shut down major roads and ask motorists to wait out the storm in service areas as visibility plummeted to less than 20 feet.

The South China Morning Post reported that the storm struck the ancient Silk Road city at around 3pm local time.  

Sandstorm

A Chinese city is engulfed by a gigantic wall of sand hundreds of feet high in footage straight out of a disaster movie

Tourists at a nearby nature park were caught off guard by the dust storm, which blew away their possessions. 

The group had travelled to the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Nature Park in Dunhuang to watch the sunset among the singing sand dunes at the picturesque beauty spot.

They were forced to huddle together and wear glasses and masks to protect themselves from the sand.       

Standstorm

Sandstorm

A video shows the city of Dunhuang vanishing between the more than 300 feet wall of sand that blew in from the Gobi Desert on Sunday

A tour guide organiser identified only as Mr Qin said that when they set off the sky was still blue and all the indications were that it would be a beautiful sunset, but the wind then suddenly whipped up creating the sandstorm which he said had only lasted for a short while.

Dunhuang is known for its harsh climate and living conditions. It is home to the Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, a temple complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

In June, residents of Hotan, a city in western China, captured scenes similar to those seen in Dunhuang on Sunday. 

A sweeping sandstorm turned skies orange and blocked out the sun with thick dust.

Chinese media at the time reported that extreme weather has become more common in recent years due to human activities and deforestation.

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