Heavy sandstorm hits parts of Saudi Arabia

Manama: Day turned into night in some Saudi Arabian cities as a heavy sandstorm hit parts of the country.

Witnesses said that Riyadh, the capital, became totally dark after 4pm.

The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) had earlier warned that a sandstorm was approaching Riyadh with a one-meter horizontal visibility.

Dr. Adnan Bin Sulaiman Al Abdul Karim, said that hospitals under the Ministry of Health were ready to admit dust-hit patients, local daily Arab News reported.

The paper quoted Benny M. Quiambao, a Filipino building contractor, as saying that "darkness enveloped the main arteries of the capital city, such as Qassim, King Fahad, Khurais and Makkah roads as a result of the storm which started at about noon."

Another witness, Arnold G. Pineda, a community leader in Buraidah, told the daily that "the sandstorm started at 8:30 in the morning in Qassim, followed by rains at about 12:15 in the afternoon."

Even though the rains had stopped in late afternoon, the skies remained cloudy.

However, Riyadh residents told Sabq news site that the rains were a blessing that helped wash away the "terrible effects" of the sandstorms.