Two people died and widespread damage reported following this week's sandstorm in northern China.

And a new storm has been forecast today by the weather bureau.

The deaths were confirmed in the southern parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, one of the worse-hit areas of this week's giant sandstorm.

Beijing forestry officials said the amount of damage was under investigation.

The sandstorm, the worst so far this spring, had abated by yesterday in 10 provinces throughout north and northwest China.

The new sandstorm is expected to not be as severe.

"It will not be as bad as the one that has swept over Beijing with an estimated 300,000 tons of dust dumped," said Yang Weixi, chief engineer of the desertification-control office under the State Forestry Administration (SFA), at a briefing.

As the worst spring disaster affecting China's dry north and northwest, the problem cannot be entirely controlled, he admitted.

"But, we can mitigate the damages it may cause by controlling over-farming, overgrazing, increasing vegetation cover and building wind breaks and balancing regional ecosystems," he said.

During the briefing, Yang outlined the impact the sandstorms had on China and its neighbouring countries.

He said some of the country's most severe sand and dust storms originated in Central Asia or Mongolia.

Of the 40 sandstorms hitting China from 2000 to 2004, 29 came from areas outside the country, a survey by SFA indicate.

"The disaster is actually a common enemy for China and many other countries including our neighbours," he said and appealed to more countries to join hands to combat the problem.

To fight against the disaster, China has co-operated with some northeast Asian countries. "We are ready to share our experiences with more of our neighbours," he said.

(China Daily April 21, 2006)