BEIJING, April 17: Millions of Beijing residents woke up on Monday to find their city covered in a thin layer of sand — another reminder that the desert is moving closer to the Chinese capital.

People drove to work in cars coloured yellow and brown by the dust that had blown in overnight, while pedestrians donned face masks and shopkeepers cleared the sidewalks with brooms.

“I got out of bed to see my Mercedes entirely covered in dust,” said a driver, who gave his surname as Yang. “There was just no way I could handle it myself, and I had to take it to a car wash.”

The sandstorm engulfed Beijing despite intensive efforts to clean the air and prepare for the 2008 Olympics by planting broad belts of trees around the city. The Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau warned the sandstorm, the worst to hit so far this year, could be harmful.

“Sandstorms can affect the human body, especially the respiratory system,” said an official.—AFP