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Yesterday, a freak sandstorm covered Tehran in a massive cloud of dust and sand, killing five and injuring at least 40 people. The storm quickly blocked out the sun, and whipped winds to 75 miles per hour, prompting plummeting temperatures, car accidents and power outages. Those killed were presumably victims of falling trees. If all that wasn't enough, it started to rain after a 15-minute-long blackout. 

According to an eyewitness, "the dustball came out of nowhere and suddenly everywhere went dark." Another said, "I've never seen anything like this. I was afraid it was an omen of things to come." And photos from yesterday show an eerie scene:

Iran's Fars News Agency uploaded footage of the storm, which shows just how quickly the sky changed as the sand consumed everything and the city descended into chaos:

Tehran officials said that at least 7,000 emergency workers were sent out to handle the situation, and warned that bad weather could continue through Wednesday. 

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