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Two die amid worsening smog in Sumatra
Residents with respiratory illnesses have become more vulnerable as the government struggles to stop forest fires and clear smog.
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An elderly villager gets a dose of oxygen from a Red Cross volunteer outside his home in Jambi on Sept. 24. (AFP/Tri Iswanto)
T
wo residents with a history of asthma have died in Jambi as haze from forest fires continue to shroud provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Ambo Tang, 55, from East Tanjungjabung regency and Hanifah, 57, from Muarojambi regency passed away on Saturday after weeks of respiratory issues from breathing in the smog.
"My mother had a history of asthma, but the smog had worsened her condition," said Hanifah's son Muhammad.
Hanifah's village of Mekar Sari in Kumpeh Ilir subdistrict is located close to several hotspots.
Ambo Tang's daughter, Diana, said her father also had trouble with asthma. Both Ambo and Hanifah were taken to nearby health centers for medical treatment before they were pronounced dead.
Jambi, one of the worst smog-hit regions in Sumatra, received artificial rain for 15 minutes on Tuesday morning after a prolonged, months-long dry season.
The rain, however, did not make much difference to the city's air quality, which was recorded at 374 or "hazardous" in the United States Air Quality Index (US AQI) on Tuesday evening.
