Sandstorm Affects More Than 400 Million People in Northern China

A powerful sandstorm swept through the Chinese capital, Beijing, and other parts of northern China, affecting about 409 million people, according to the Ministry of Forestry and China's Global Times newspaper.

The storm reduced visibility to a distance of a few tens of meters.

The sandstorm blew in from southern Mongolia, hitting northern regions besides Beijing including Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang, according to the ministry.

The Chinese weather center said that so far this year, northern China has recorded more sandstorms than the average recorded over the past ten years.

And Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that sand storms, which have been hitting China for more than a month, are now spreading to neighboring regions, as dust particles affect air quality from South Korea to Japan.

Sandstorms are expected to reach Japan today, Wednesday, affecting visibility in the central region that includes Tokyo, according to forecasts from the Japan Meteorological Agency.