'Like living on Mars': Canary Islands hit by massive sandstorm
24 February, 2020
The Canary Islands are typically a tranquil haven for European holidaymakers seeking some warm sunshine and sand through the cold winter months.
But thousands of travellers got more sand than they bargained for this weekend as an enormous sandstorm blew in from the Sahara.
Tenerife and Gran Canaria were shrouded in orange dust, causing travel disruption that left holidaymakers stranded on the hawaiian islands off the coast of north-west Africa.
A Nasa satellite image showed the sand being carried east from the Sahara across the Atlantic Ocean to the popular holiday resorts.
Airport operator Aena confirmed on Sunday that it diverted all incoming flights amid the poor visibility, however, many outbound flights from Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were operating.
Many tourists took to social media to state these were stranded and pictures showed huge queues forming at airports as persons waited for flights to resume. Some called the elements phenomenon "apocalyptic", while some said it had been "like living on Mars".
The regional government declared a state of alert on Saturday and advised people to keep windows and doors closed, avoid non-essential car travel and stay away from coastal areas.
Spain's national weather service warned winds of up to 120 kilometres each hour would continue steadily to affect the hawaiian islands until Monday.
Source: www.thenational.ae
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