Climate
Indonesian Forest Fire Haze Blankets Singapore and Malaysia
October 13, 2026 at 11:31 AM
Smoke from Indonesian forest fires has blanketed Singapore and Malaysia, forcing flight cancellations and school closures across the region.
- Firefly has cancelled all flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore through Wednesday, citing weather and haze conditions.
- IQAir ranked Singapore and Kuala Lumpur as the world's two most polluted cities on Tuesday.
- Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said he will press for stronger regional mechanisms, noting haze is not classified as a natural disaster under ASEAN rules.
- Mohamad said Indonesia had deployed about 60,000 personnel to fight the fires, but thick smoke grounded 34 aircraft.