Beijing Enveloped in Hazardous Sandstorm, 2nd Time in 2 Weeks

Staff members stand near a Boeing 737-800 airplane of Air China on the tarmac of Beijing Capital International Airport, which is shrouded in dust as the city is hit by a sandstorm, in Beijing, China, on March 28, 2021. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

BEIJING—The Chinese capital of 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.