Smoke from wildfires killed 3,500 people in Indonesia in September: Report

In September, air pollution from smoke caused by widespread wildfires in Indonesia resulted in an estimated 3,560 deaths, according to a scientific study. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based think tank, reported that nearly 57.8 million people experienced unhealthy to hazardous air quality during the same month.

The increase in air quality worsened due to the forest and land fires in Indonesia, leading to a twofold increase in death toll from August's estimate. The study estimated deaths resulting from short-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution, which occurs within days of exposure, primarily on Indonesia's part of Borneo island as well as Java and Sumatra islands, and the country's eastern region.

The researchers also examined non-fire pollution from urban and industrial emissions, which caused an additional 1,750 deaths in September, culminating in a total of 5,310 deaths across the country of approximately 278 million people.