Authorities swiftly activated an emergency response on Saturday night after a sandstorm swept through a desert tourist attraction in northwest China's Dunhuang City, suspending ticket sales and promptly evacuating visitors.
At around 18:00 that day, the city was hit by a severe sandstorm, with the sky shrouded in thick yellow dust.
In response, the Mingsha Mountain Crescent Yueya Spring Scenic Spot promptly evacuated all visitors, while local authorities organized free buses and government vehicles to ensure safe transportation to the city center.
"Over 80 trips have been made, with 142 vehicles dispatched, ensuring that the more than 5,200 tourists safely returned to the city center," said Zhao Li, deputy head of the city's comprehensive traffic and transportation law enforcement team.
Following the sandstorm, scheduled performances at the scenic spot were put on hold. The site announced that shows would restart once conditions improved.
Authorities launch emergency evacuation as sandstorm hits desert scenic spot in Dunhuang
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday formally tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government, giving the former military chief a chance to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Netanyahu's right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority in October's election.
Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, received recommendations from 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament, compared with 46 for Netanyahu.
At the ceremony, Herzog called for unity and a "stable government that can last."
Eisenkot warned that Israel was facing a "critical moment," saying the objectives of its multi-front conflicts "remained unfulfilled," its international relations were in a "devastating crisis," and its democracy was facing one of its gravest challenges.
"If we continue on the current path, we risk reaching a point of no return," he said, calling for new leadership "that people can look in the eye and trust."
He said he was convinced it was possible to form a new government with a substantial majority in the Knesset, and that he was open to Netanyahu's Likud party and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party joining a government under his leadership.
He said they were invited to "support the government under my leadership and the principles I've outlined."
"I intend to be the prime minister of all citizens of Israel, those who voted for me and those who haven't," Eisenkot said.
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in.
Eisenkot's four-party alliance holds only 48 seats and would need support from Arab lawmakers or other parties to form a government.
Netanyahu on Saturday called for a national unity government, while Eisenkot's party said Likud could join a government led by Eisenkot if it abandoned its far-right allies.
Under Israeli law, if Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted time, Herzog may assign the task to another candidate, or at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset can ask the president to entrust the mandate to a candidate of their choice. If these efforts also fail, the Knesset will be dissolved and new elections will be held.
Israeli opposition leader Eisenkot officially receives mandate to form gov't
Israeli opposition leader Eisenkot officially receives mandate to form gov't
