Tourists Panic As Orange Snowstorm Submerges Russian Ski resort
strange orange snow phenomenon panicking residents
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Tourists at Ski resorts in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania have reported a strange "orange colored snow" that has left residents terrified about what might be the cause.
The strange orange snow phenomenon has been captured by a tourist on video which has since gone viral across social media.
The snow can be seen blanketing the mountains making them appear like sand dunes.
Some witnesses compared the spectacle to "being on Mars."
One British tourist, who didn't want to be named said: "I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime, it's totally fascinating but scary at the same time."
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The Express reports: Several witnesses compared the scene to an "apocalyptic scenario" or something that resembled the surface of Mars.
Scientists have blamed the eerie snow tint, which varied from light yellow to intense orange and even brown, on a mix of sand and pollen.
Experts from the Sochi Centre of Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of the Black and Azov Seas were sent to test the strange sight yesterday.
A spokesman for the centre said the cause of the phenomenon was likely winds carrying sand from the Sahara, which then fell as rain.
However, they also predicted that things will be back to normal within days.
Tourists at a ski resort in Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, posted photos on Instagram and Twitter of the hazy landscapes and yellow-orange slopes.
One user said: "Martian landscape, Apocalypse Now."
Another added: "Snowy slopes were transformed into barkhan dunes."
Similar photos were posted by residents in Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
The snow phenomenon has been compared to a similar incident that took place in Siberia in 2007 when orange-tinted snowfall covered 1,500 square kilometers.
Despite theories, it remained unclear what caused the orange snow display, with speculation ranging from pollution to a nearby sandstorm.
According to Russia's environmental watchdog at the time, the snow was reported to be "malodorous, oily and contain four times the normal level of iron".
