Claim: Photographs show a sandstorm in Iraq.
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2005]
Do you remember the movie, the Mummy, no special effects here! This is REAL! Sand Storm, 26 April 2005. Al Asad, IRAQ It's a wall of sand traveling at 60 mph. RUN FOREST RUN
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Origins: We do not yet know the specific origins of these pictures, but the contextual information accompanying them does correspond to a real event, and they match other photos of the same phenomenon: a dust storm which struck Al Asad in the western desert of Iraq on 26 April 2005.
According to a Marine Corps News article:
As the storm moved closer the sky changed to a shade of orange until total darkness blanketed the ground. The storm passed over in about 45 minutes, leaving a heavy sheet of dust in its wake. Forecaster say the wall of dust may have reached 4,000 to 5,000 feet. This dust storm was a spectacular sight and may look worse than it actually was. No one was injured and no equipment was damaged here.
A dust storm similar to special effects on the big screen bellowed across the western desert of Iraq on
Additional photographs of the sandstorm are viewable on the BBC web site.
Last updated: 28 April 2005
Sources: