Three persons are reported missing in a strong sandstorm that began Saturday in Inner Mongolia, an official said Sunday.  

The sandstorm swept through Xilin Gol League (prefecture) in northern Inner Mongolia that was hit by an earthquake measuring 5.9 degrees on the Richter scale last Wednesday.

A total of 22 people were reported lost. By Sunday noon, 19 of them have been found and three are still missing. More than 5,000 livestock have got lost or died, said the official of the disaster relief headquarters of the league.

Thus far, 80 percent of the 1,500 tents put up after the earthquake have been destroyed, leaving some 10,000 earthquake victims in the open air waiting for rescue again, the official said.

The sandstorm also caused power failure and destroyed waterworks facilities at the Dong Ujimqin Banner (county) and Ulgai development zone.

Starting from Saturday morning, the sandstorm, the strongest in recent years in the region, swept from west to east through Xilin Gol League with the maximum speed reaching 28 meters per second, lowering the visibility below 10 meters, according to the weather station.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2004)