Storm reaches HK

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's air pollution index shot to its highest mark ever on Monday, as the southern metropolis tasted the scourge of northern sandstorms.

The Air Pollution Index (API) in the city, shrouded in a yellow-tinted smog, started to climb early in the morning. By 6 pm, an air pollution index of 500 was recorded in five areas - residential, commercial and rural - across the territories.

Hong Kong's API ranges from 0 to 500 and the air pollution is considered "severe" when the figure exceeds 200.