A wind storm enveloped a town in Russia’s Kemerovo (Kuzbass) region in black coal dust on Sunday, media reported.
Visibility reportedly dropped to almost zero in the southern Western Siberian town of Kiselyovsk after strong winds lifted dust from the town’s open-pit coal mines into the air.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed a huge black cloud covering the town and shrouding the skies.
Meteorologists had warned of heavy rains, thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to 25 meters per second in the Kemerovo region on Sunday.
Coal dust is a chronic problem in Kiselyovsk, a town of about 83,000 people that is surrounded by nine coal mines.
Media reported earlier that Kiselyovsk residents regularly complain about air pollution to no avail, with the town continuing to experience black clouds and even black snow.
Kiselyovsk’s population has shrunk by half over the past two decades due to high mortality rates, the state-run TASS news agency reported in 2021.
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