A 71-year-old woman was rescued after being trapped in her home for nearly six hours as a severe sandstorm engulfed Hulunbuir City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday. Snowflakes and sands swirled in the air by winds, lowering the visibility to only 10 meters. The temperature dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Local police officers rushed to the scene upon receiving the call for help. They started an emergency rescue operation and, after about two hours, helped the old lady out.