While many spent yesterday morning squalling over Beijing’s pollution (caused in part by this season’s first sandstorm), an actual squall of sorts blew through this region, causing more damage. (Incidentally, it was this very wind that cleared out the pollution, so that in a matter of one hour, from 10 am to 11 am, the AQI dropped from 506 to 279, and by 4 pm, it was under 100, according to @BeijingAir.)
According to Beijing Youth Daily, three people were hurt when an enclosure around Guangshun North Street was blown down in the evening. Their injuries were serious enough to require treatment at Wangjing Hospital.
In a more serious incident earlier in the day, a metal frame at Oriental Shopping Plaza on Yaojiayuan Street was blown down, falling onto a pedestrian.
The biggest accident involved a fallen arch, however. A passerby was actually knocked unconscious, blood all over his face, say eyewitnesses. He was sent to Bayi Neurosurgical Hospital for emergency treatment.
In the video here, we get just a glimpse — Mother Nature’s reminder that try as we might to destroy her, she’s more likely to destroy us first.
One more look:
