Massive Sandstorm in West Africa Paints The Sky Blood Red, Twitter Calls It ‘Apocalyptic’ | Watch Dramatic Video

One of the videos going viral shows a huge wall of sand engulfing buildings in Niamey, while others show reddish dust rising hundreds of meters above the houses and buildings in the area.

Niamey: Turning the skies blood red, a huge sandstorm swept some regions over West Africa on Monday, dramatic videos of which are going viral on social media. The giant sand storm hit the city of Niamey, Niger around 2 pm on Monday, causing air traffic to temporarily stop.

Though not an unusual phenomenon, Niger is known for frequent sandstorms that sweep Saharan sand which usually occur from January to April, in what is known as the ‘Harmattan’ season.

One of the videos going viral shows a huge wall of sand engulfing buildings in Niamey, while others show reddish dust rising hundreds of meters above the houses and buildings in the area.

Tempête de sable à Niamey… pic.twitter.com/ct5Pm3OjVY
— Doulaye Bonkano (@doulayeb) May 4, 2020

#Niamey. #Niger. 2 pm. Life in the desert. pic.twitter.com/XyEhcLYdwd
— Juan Haro (@HaroJuan) May 4, 2020

On m'en avait parlé mais je n'avais encore jamais vu ça. Nuit d'encre en plein jour. Tempête de sable de l'extrême à #Niamey. Prions que la pluie tombe. Il est 14h14! Heureusement, je viens de rentrer. #Niger pic.twitter.com/NWWqd9CHDN
— Delphine II🇫🇷🇬🇳🇸🇳🇳🇪 (@DelphineII) May 4, 2020

#Niamey, #Niger. Sounds like the end of the world! pic.twitter.com/5WhXo17RcV
— Idriss Zackaria (@IdrissZackaria) May 4, 2020

Some Twitter users described the sight as ‘utterly terrifying’, while some others called the event ‘apocalyptic’

yesteraday’s sandstorm in Niamey, Niger pic.twitter.com/vKZSWnPFQH
— francesco strazzari (@franxstrax) May 5, 2020

Incredible photos from Niamey in #Niger today, where my brother and his family live. Sandstorms turning the sky orange/red pic.twitter.com/Rpqu0XGVP2
— David Blane (@dnblane) May 4, 2020

The storms occur when thunderstorms elevate huge quantities of dust into the air and the plumes can travel for hundreds of kilometres releasing massive amount of dust onto cities.

As per the World Meteorological Organization, the dust , apart from creating visibility issues and travel delays, is also harmful for human health. Besides impacts from particles on human organs, some infectious diseases also may be transmitted by dust, such as meningococcal meningitis.

“Outbreaks occur worldwide, yet the highest incidence is found in the ‘meningitis belt,’ a part of sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated population of 300 million,” the WMO states.