++INCLUDES SWEARING++

The Greek island of Crete turned an eerie shade of orange on Thursday when it was covered in dust which blew in from the Sahara Desert.

Tourists and locals woke up to hazy orange skies which made the popular holiday destination look like something from the world of science fiction.

This clip was filmed in the city of Heraklion.

"It turned into this fierce red world but 14 hours later, the air had cleared," the filmer Steff Cameron said.

Saharan dust frequently gets lifted high into the air by convection over the hot desert.

Once airborne, it can be blown thousands of kilometres in any direction by winds.

Sandstorm hit Heraklion, Crete, Greece, on March 22nd. Within four hours, it turned into this fierce red world. But 14 hours later, the air had cleared.