The storm caused significant damage and left one person dead.
A sandstorm swept through the Moroccan capital on Thursday, bringing businesses to a standstill and killing a young man, local media reported.
Apocalyptic videos posted online show the sky obscured by a crimson haze and streets bathed in an orange glow.
The General Directorate of Meteorology stated that powerful winds that tore through the city reached speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, toppling trees.
Wowww!! Yesterday in #Marrakech, #Morocco a huge #sandstorm turned the sky red… pic.twitter.com/CFtxeMZeTD
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) August 11, 2023
“An 18-year-old young man lost his life after a tree fell on him in the Belk Street area near Jemaa el-Fna Square,” a local media report said, adding that another man narrowly escaped being crushed.
Marrakesh, Morocco Experiences Severe Sandstorm That Turns Sky Red@VishnuFNO #GlobalBoiling pic.twitter.com/sUQwfDslH0
— Pritam (@Pritam) August 12, 2023
Marrakesh, a popular tourist destination home to over one million people, is also currently experiencing record heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 48 degrees Celsius during the day.
sandstorms are not that in common in the region, the sahara being next door.
I saw once the results of such a sandstorm in the french alps. The mountains still covered with snow became orange. The wind carries the sand thousands of miles away across the mediterranean