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Canary Islands sandstorm: Stunning satellite images show ‘apocalyptic’ Saharan dust clouds engulf Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

@apuntoorage/Twitter
@apuntoorage/Twitter

Stunning satellite images show the moment swirling dust clouds engulfed Spain’s Canary Islands over the weekend, as a Saharan sandstorm brought "apolocalpytic" scenes to the holiday destination.

Footage from space tracked the storm as it rumbled over tourist hotspots including Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife, blocking out the sun and shrouding the islands in dust.

More than 800 flights were grounded on Sunday owing to poor visibility brought on by the harsh weather conditions.

However, on Monday morning, airport operator Aena said flights from four of the airports – Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma and North Tenerife – would be able to take off.

Those departing South Tenerife continue to be grounded, the statement added.

Planes are pictured at Tenerife SouthReina Sofia Airport during Sunday's sandstorm (AFP via Getty Images)
Planes are pictured at Tenerife SouthReina Sofia Airport during Sunday's sandstorm (AFP via Getty Images)

Photos shared on social media show exhausted passengers sitting on airport floors as they awaited more information.

Stranded passengers wait at Las Palmas Airport in Gran Canaria (REUTERS)
Stranded passengers wait at Las Palmas Airport in Gran Canaria (REUTERS)

Greg Horsman, 29, was on holiday with his girlfriend and his friends on a Tui cruise and was due to fly home to Manchester on Saturday evening.

But the storm forced them to stay in Gran Canaria for another two nights.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “We’re just ready to be home.”

““Last night we were in the airport for five hours and I was frustrated because Tui couldn’t help us or do anything until the airport declared that they were closed which they did at 10.30pm.

“They all kept saying ‘Oh we’ve never seen this happen before’ which I understand, it’s a freak of nature, but when weather grounds all flights there is surely a contingency plan that gets put into place so people can get accommodation sorted.”

Planes are pictured at Tenerife SouthReina Sofia Airport during a sandstorm (REUTERS)
Planes are pictured at Tenerife SouthReina Sofia Airport during a sandstorm (REUTERS)

Travel group Tui issued an apology to affected passengers, with a spokeswoman saying: “We would like to sincerely apologise to customers for the disruption caused by the adverse and changeable weather conditions in the Canary Islands on Saturday February 22 and Sunday February 23.

“The safety of our customers and crew is always our highest priority and we are working tirelessly to find the best solutions for all our customers.”

Spain's national weather service warned winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) could batter the islands until Monday.

The Canaries’ regional government issued a state of alert on Saturday, with residents advised to stay indoors, close their windows and avoid travel.

The winds have also affected ferry services, and hampered efforts to fight a wildfire in the village of Tasarte, Gran Canaria, where temperatures have soared above 30C in recent days.

Blazes have scorched around 300 hectares of land in the area, forcing the evacuation of 500 people.

Meanwhile, strong winds have prevented water-dropping aircraft from tackling fires in the village in south-western Gran Canaria.

On the neighbouring island of Tenerife, around 1,000 locals and tourists were evacuated as a precaution because of the risk from blazes.

Pedro Marin, head of Tenerife's local government, described the scale of the wildfires as "a completely unusual situation"

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