(TW) – A heavy dust storm hit the southern Mongolian province of Dundgovi on Sunday, March 14, 2021, leaving at least 341 people missing, according to the Dundgovi emergency management department.

The department said most of the missing people are nomadic herders, adding that search and rescue operations are in progress.

Mongolian National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring said heavy dust and snowstorms have been affecting large parts of Mongolia since Friday night, March 12. In central and southern provinces, weather stations registered wind speeds up to 120 km/h (75 mph), the agency said. READ MORE