A floating dust storm that hit Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has turned a normally clear, unpolluted sky into gray for the first time in 10 years.
Many of Lhasa's residents are complaining about the bad weather,which has brought visibility down to only eight to ten kilometers.
Tourists, however, are suffering the most, as not a single flight has landed at the Gonggar Airport during the past three days.
The weather has delayed over 13 outbound flights and 2,500 passengers, said a civil aviation source.
Monday is the first day of the 40-day Spring Festival peak transport season, and many students and migrant workers in Lhasa have to wait till the dust subsides.
Experts from the local meteorological bureau said the floating dust is a result of low air pressure and a higher than normal temperature in Lhasa.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2002)
