This incredible footage shows the moment an 'apocalyptic ' weather storm struck Belarus , turning day into night when fast-moving storm clouds blocked out the sun . Filmed from a high rise apartment , the video shows traffic moving along a busy street in the province of Salihorsk , south of the capital of Minsk on Monday afternoon . As dark clouds move over the city , the entire area is plunged into darkness - forcing motorists to turn on their lights as they navigate the darkened roads . Dark clouds start forming over the city of Soligorsk , Belarus , as the sandstorm sweeps over the city . Within a matter of minutes , the storm had blocked out the sun , creating chaos on the city streets . The sandstorm was so thick the city was plunged into darkness during the Monday afternoon storm . Towards the end of the video , the clouds thin out and the city once again slowly becomes illuminated . The storm was caused by a cold front moving in from the Ukrainian-Belorusian border , named a haboob - which is Arabic for an intense dust storm , RT reported . Not only did it cause chaos on city streets , but forced about 100,000 residents of the city of Soligorsk to stay indoors . Those that did venture outside travelled by torchlight . Heavy rain associated with the storm also caused electricity cuts and damage to buildings . Several people from the region who commented on the video described the storm as like a 'doomsday scenario ' or the apocalypse . While sandstorms , or haboobs , are commonly associated with the Sahara region , they can occur in any arid area . The deserts of Australia are particularly prone to the storms , as are countries located along the Arabian Gulf and parts of Africa . Associated with thunderstorms and small tornadoes , sandstorms are characterised by strong winds which move huge amounts of sand in a dense wall across thousands of kilometres - at heights reaching 1,000m .
Incredible footage of an 'apocalyptic ' sandstorm in Belarus has gone viral . It shows a city being plunged into darkness as a storm blocks out the sun . The sandstorm caused electricity cuts and forced about 100,000 people indoors . It brought with it a cold front and heavy rain that damaged buildings .