At least 27 people, mostly nomadic herders, are missing in eastern Mongolia due to strong winds and heavy dust and snow storms, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Friday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The search for the missing 26 people in Sukhbaatar province and another one in Khentii province is currently underway, the NEMA said in a statement.
From Friday morning, heavy dust and snow storms started sweeping through the eastern and southern Gobi provinces of Mongolia, with a wind speed of up to 30 meters per second, according to the country's weather monitoring agency.
The volatile weather is expected to continue in the coming few days across large parts of the country, the agency said, warning the public, especially nomadic herders and drivers, to take extra precautions against possible disasters.
Mongolia has a harsh continental climate as strong winds, dust and snow storms are common.