At least four people were killed in Tehran on Monday as a massive sandstorm and record winds blanketed the city, plunging the Iranian capital into darkness, knocking out power supplies, damaging buildings and causing massive disruption.
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State media attributed the fatalities to falling trees and reported winds of 110 kilometres per hour. Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA -
Iran’s chief emergency official said at least four people were killed, and 27 injured. Saeedeh Eslamieh/AFP Photo -
Almost 7,000 emergency workers were deployed within the hour. Behrouz Mehri/AFP Photo -
“This is like an apocalyptic Hollywood movie. I’m scared,” a woman running into a shop in the capital’s central business district to escape the gales said seconds after the storm hit. Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA -
A man inside the same building said: “I’ve never seen anything like this. I was afraid it was an omen of things to come.” Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA -
An electricity official quoted on ISNA news agency said power had been lost in at least 50,000 homes. Behrouz Mehri/AFP Photo -
Flights out of Tehran were delayed, Fars news agency said. Behrouz Mehri/AFP Photo -
Pictures posted on social media showed a giant sand cloud approaching the city, before it turned dark. EPA -
After a 15-minute period of gloom, the sandstorm began to lift and rains lashed down amid strong winds. Behrouz Mehri/AFP Photo -
About 90 minutes after the initial storm, the winds appeared to ease and more cars were seen on the streets, although many people opted to stay inside office buildings. Behrouz Mehri/AFP Photo
In pictures: freak sandstorm and record winds hit Iran
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