This incredible footage shows the moment an 'apocalyptic' weather storm struck Belarus, turning day into night when fast-moving storm clouds blocked out the sun. Filmed from a high rise apartment, the video shows traffic moving along a busy street in the province of Salihorsk, south of the capital of Minsk on Monday afternoon. As dark clouds move over the city, the entire area is plunged into darkness - forcing motorists to turn on their lights as they navigate the darkened roads. Dark clouds start forming over the city of Soligorsk, Belarus, as the sandstorm sweeps over the city . Within a matter of minutes, the storm had blocked out the sun, creating chaos on the city streets . The sandstorm was so thick the city was plunged into darkness during the Monday afternoon storm . Towards the end of the video, the clouds thin out and the city once again slowly becomes illuminated. The storm was caused by a cold front moving in from the Ukrainian-Belorusian border, named a haboob - which is Arabic for an intense dust storm, RT reported. Not only did it cause chaos on city streets, but forced about 100,000 residents of the city of Soligorsk to stay indoors. Those that did venture outside travelled by torchlight. Heavy rain associated with the storm also caused electricity cuts and damage to buildings. Several people from the region who commented on the video described the storm as like a 'doomsday scenario' or the apocalypse. While sandstorms, or haboobs, are commonly associated with the Sahara region, they can occur in any arid area. The deserts of Australia are particularly prone to the storms, as are countries located along the Arabian Gulf and parts of Africa. Associated with thunderstorms and small tornadoes, sandstorms are characterised by strong winds which move huge amounts of sand in a dense wall across thousands of kilometres - at heights reaching 1,000m.
Incredible footage of an 'apocalyptic' sandstorm in Belarus has gone viral . It shows a city being plunged into darkness as a storm blocks out the sun . The sandstorm caused electricity cuts and forced 100,000 people indoors . It brought with it a cold front and heavy rain that damaged buildings .