article_snippet.sent: A raging sand storm sweeps in on the city of Golmud in north west China, where 200,000 people live .
article_snippet.sent: a sandstorm was the fourth to hit the area the year as authorities struggle to deal with the natural hazards .
article_snippet.sent: Golmud was left covered in a remarkable red haze when the sand cloud blew across the city .
article_snippet.sent: Dr Steven Godby, a geographer researching the effects of blown sand and dust at Nottingham Trent University, explained how these events can occur. '
article_snippet.sent: China's pollution hit cities are now having to cope with a fresh nuisance - the massive sandstorm that struck the north-west of China being the fourth this year alone.
article_snippet.sent: The red sand swept across the northern part of the country bringing strong winds and floating sand to the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi.
article_snippet.sent: The organisation advised residents to stay indoors and local authorities to brace for the clean-up operation after the moment ferocious red sandstorms  .
article_snippet.sent: a sandstorm, meanwhile, wrecked havoc across the area, causing traffic accidents, the cancellation of hundreds of flights and triggering breathing difficulties among residents.
article_snippet.sent: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies said: 'The blowing sand reduced surface visibility to near zero at some locations, disrupting ground transportation, air traffic, and also closing schools.
highlights_snippet.sent: China has suffered four massive sandstorms since the start of the year .
  