Authorities on Friday urged people in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai to stay indoors and work from home as air pollution spiked to hazardous levels.
Smoke from forest fires and farmers burning crop stubble has blanketed the popular tourist destination in recent weeks.
On Friday morning, the air monitoring website IQAir ranked Chiang Mai as the most polluted major city in the world, ahead of regular hotspots such as Delhi and Lahore.
Levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles -- so tiny they can enter the bloodstream -- were more than 66 times the World Health Organization's annual guideline, according to IQAir.
Chiang Mai provincial governor Nirat Pongsittitavorn issued a statement urging people to stay indoors and work from home to "protect themselves and reduce the health impact" from PM2.5 particles.
Thailand has been choking on a spike in air pollution since the start of the year, caused in part by seasonal agricultural burning.
Nearly two million people have needed hospital treatment for respiratory conditions caused by air pollution this year, according to the public health ministry.
Officials previously warned Bangkok residents to stay indoors and work from home in February as the capital was covered with harmful haze.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Bhumi Pednekar Celebrates 35th Birthday
Employee Deletes Teams, Email From Phone After Company's "No Work From Home" Policy Viral Video Of "Nonna" Feeding WFH Grandchild Lots Of Food Wins Internet Tech Company Globant Allows All 30,000 Employees To Work From Home Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Opposes Karnataka's Job Quota Bill, Minister Responds World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Puja Khedkar's Father Was Suspended Twice On Extortion Complaints Meet Gagan, A Daily Wager Who Cracked IIT Despite All Odds Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.