At least six people have died in Brazil in strong sandstorms that have hit the southeast of its territory in recent days, a natural phenomenon amplified by extreme drought.

The images are impressive: a gigantic cloud of orange dust falls and covers the landscape in a few minutes.

Storms, with wind gusts of up to 100 km / hour, damaged homes and knocked down trees or utility poles in inland towns in the states of Sao Paulo or Minas Gerais.

The six people who lost their lives drowned, like a fisherman in a village on the banks of the Parana, 650 km from Sao Paulo, on October 1.

Brazil: A huge sandstorm hits the city of Franca, in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

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- AttilaXT (@attilaXT) September 27, 2021

"The consequence of a long period with high temperatures"

The others were victims of falling trees, collapsing houses or fires, according to the press. "These are rather common climatic phenomena, but they are rarely as intense as those we have had this year," says meteorologist Estael Sias, of the forecasting company Metsul. “This is the consequence of a long period without precipitation, with high temperatures and low humidity,” she adds. Sandstorms that “lift up sand and dust particles” form at the end of the dry season, which ends in September before the rains return.

Another determining factor: these regions concentrate a large number of sugar cane plantations, with large areas without vegetation and therefore a greater number of particles liable to fly away with the gusts of wind.

These storms, usual in desert regions, can reach a radius of 160 km, and last several hours, according to Estael Sias.

"We cannot dissociate this phenomenon from climate change, with higher temperatures causing extreme events," said the meteorologist, Brazil experiencing its worst drought in 91 years.

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