"The sixth sandstorm to hit our nation's northern regions struck today, causing the biggest and most wide-ranging storm of the year," the China Meteorological Administration reported on its website.

Visibility dropped to less than 100 metres (330 feet) in parts of Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia provinces, where the storms were worst, it said.

Sandstorms frequently blow up in China's arid northern regions as the weather warms in the spring, often sending clouds of yellow dust swirling over South Korea, Japan and as far as the United States.

In Xinjiang, highways were shut down due to the low visibility caused by the storms, while flights in and out of Gansu's tourist oasis of Dunhuang were suspended Friday, press reports said.

Local health bureaus told people to stay inside and avoid outdoor activities, they added.

"In downtown Lanzhou, two mountains that are a common sight on clear days could not be seen and were completely covered by yellow dust," Xinhua news agency reported from the provincial capital of Gansu.

"Even the buildings a kilometre away were not visible."

Scientists have attributed worsening sandstorms to desertification that is often caused by excessive human activity, such as overgrazing and tree-felling.

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