ULAN BATOR, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Sandstorms and blizzards have hit Mongolia's eastern provinces of Sukhbaatar and Khentii, causing severe damage to buildings and crippling several power lines, authorities said Saturday.
The National Emergency Management Agency said the disastrous weather conditions started sweeping eastern and southern parts of the country on Friday morning, with wind gusting at up to 30 meters per second.
Up to 120 people went missing in the two provinces with 104 of them found alive, it said. The search for the others is still underway, and there are also reports of losses of livestock.
The country's weather monitoring agency has said the extreme conditions will continue through the weekend and have an impact on large areas including the capital, urging the public to brace for possible disasters. ■