14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, the Chinese capital city of Beijing saw one of the weirdest phenomenons its inhabitants ever experienced, when, near noon, the skies turned black and the day turned into night, as a “freak storm” rained down upon the metropolis. ABC China correspondent Stephen McDonell and cameraman Rob Hill were on-location, and videotaped the strange event, which inflicted fear and panic in the hearts of many of Beijing's inhabitants.
“It was pitch black outside and you could see people looking out from the office towers across the road from us. In a couple of the photos, you can see a clock in the distance showing it was around 11:30 am local time,” the reporter told the ABC News. The storms predicted for yesterday were expected to hit large parts of inner Mongolia, the north and northeastern parts of China, as well as the western and the northern parts of Xinjiang. However, it was not foreseen that they would cause this type of effect in the capital city.
Some say that the storm was made worse in the metropolitan area on account of the large amount of air pollution. Thick layers of smog, dust, smoke and other fumes surround the Chinese capital, which, over the last years, has gained a “reputation” for emitting enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Despite municipal authorities' best efforts, the amount of pollution increases constantly, as the country develops economically. The trend has been going on for at least a couple of decades, and it will most likely continue for many years to come.
Yesterday's storm comes after the June 15th hail storms that hit the eastern parts of the country, causing millions of dollars in infrastructure damage and house losses. The Anhui province was the most severely damaged, AFP reports, with more than 9,700 households collapsing, and 10,000 individuals being evicted from the living spaces. Reports indicate that some 180 people were injured, while 14 lost their lives in the calamity. Winds blew with intensities of up to 104 kilometers per hour, causing $82 million worth of damage to the region.