'Like living on Mars': Canary Islands hit by massive sandstorm

Travellers were left stranded as flights were cancelled on the popular tourist islands

The Canary Islands are typically a tranquil haven for European holidaymakers seeking some warm sunshine and sand during the cold winter months.

But thousands of travellers got rather more sand than they bargained for this weekend as a huge sandstorm blew in from the Sahara.

SPAIN-WEATHER-TRANSPORT

Cars drive on the TF-1 highway during a sandstorm in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. AFP

Tenerife and Gran Canaria were shrouded in orange dust, causing travel disruption that left holidaymakers stranded on the islands off the coast of north-west Africa.

A Nasa satellite image showed the sand being carried east from the Sahara across the Atlantic Ocean to the popular holiday resorts.

Imatges des de satèl·lit 🛰️ on es veu com l'arena ha colgat les Canàries.@controladores
@AEMET_Esp
@AEMET_Canarias
@Dust_Barcelona
@RAM_meteo pic.twitter.com/22krKc9jAH

— À Punt Oratge (@apuntoratge) February 22, 2020

Airport operator Aena confirmed on Sunday that it diverted all incoming flights amid the poor visibility, but some outbound flights from Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were operating.

Due to an extremely heavy sandstorm air traffic on the Canary Islands has been massively affected since the weekend. Due to very poor visibility and high local wind speeds, operations at all airports are currently suspended. More info: https://t.co/Wi7XFcIjVV pic.twitter.com/XIYEcajbW3

— Eurowings (@eurowings) February 23, 2020

Many tourists took to social media to say they were stranded and pictures showed huge queues forming at airports as people waited for flights to resume. Some called the weather phenomenon "apocalyptic", while others said it was "like living on Mars".

Suffering the worst sandstorm from Sahara that we remember in the Canary Islands. It's like living on Mars 🏜️

Sufriendo la peor calima, procedente del Sáhara, que se recuerde en #Canarias. Es como vivir en Marte. #nofilter #CalimaCanarias #CanarySandstorm #CanaryDustStorm pic.twitter.com/SBWTEyuC7Z

— Ylka Tapia🌙Malalua (🎮✈️) (@malalua) February 23, 2020

Literally stuck in the Canary Islands in a SANDSTORM.. I never even knew this could happen??? How do you email your boss that you can’t come in Monday bc of a sandstorm?

— sydney (@sydneydrew96) February 23, 2020

The regional government declared a state of alert on Saturday and advised people to keep doors and windows closed, avoid non-essential car travel and stay away from coastal areas.

Spain's national weather service warned winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour would continue to affect the islands until Monday.