「まるで世界の終わり」　黄砂に覆われる北京

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】中国の北京は15日、厚い黄砂に覆われ、大気汚染指数が「危険」に引き上げられた。（写真は黄砂に見舞われた中国・北京）
　北京市は市内の全校に屋外活動の中止を命じ、呼吸器系疾患がある人は外出を控えるよう呼びかけた。
　国営メディアによると、モンゴルで起きた砂嵐に巻き上げられた砂ぼこりが北風に乗って飛来した。
　オレンジ色のもやがかかったような光景はネットで話題となり、砂嵐に覆われた終末世界を描いたＳＦ映画『インターステラー』を彷彿（ほうふつ）とさせるとの声が上がった。「まるで世界の終わりみたい」との投稿もあった。
　大気汚染状況を確認できるウェブサイト「Ａｑｉｃｎ」によると、直径が１０マイクロメートル以下の粒子「ＰＭ１０」濃度の２４時間平均は、世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）基準の２０倍近く、直径が２．５マイクロメートル以下の「ＰＭ２．５」濃度の２４時間平均は、ＷＨＯ基準の２０倍以上を観測した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/16-13:41）

Beijing was cloaked by a thick yellow smog on Monday with pollution surging to hazardous levels as a sandstorm swept across China's capital.
City residents used goggles, masks and hair nets to protect themselves from the choking air, with landmarks including the Forbidden City and the distinctive headquarters of state broadcaster CCTV partly obscured behind an apocalyptic-looking pall of smog.
The city government ordered all schools to cancel outside sport and events and advised those with respiratory diseases to stay inside.
The poor air quality was due to a sandstorm from northern Mongolia, carried south by the wind and reducing visibility in Beijing to less than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet), state media reported.
Discussion of the orange haze lit up online discussions -- with more than 54 million views on social media platform Weibo by Monday morning. Some users said the air was reminiscent of the apocalyptic science fiction film Interstellar.
This orange red sandstorm makes it looks like the end of the world, said one Weibo user.
Pollution in the city was at hazardous levels, according to air quality monitoring website Aqicn.
It said levels of PM 10 large particulate matter were nearly 20 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum exposure.
Smaller PM 2.5 particles, which seep deep into human lungs and cause respiratory illnesses, were also at a hazardous level of 567 on Monday -- more than 20 times the WHO recommended daily limit.
China cut its national average level of airborne PM 2.5 dramatically between 2015 and 2019 and the government has announced an ambitious target to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.