Indonesia sends oxygen bus to aid residents choking on forest fire haze
- On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, local officials in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, deployed a free mobile oxygen bus to provide relief as residents choke from severe wildfire-induced haze.
- Intense El Niño weather patterns have exacerbated wildfires across Borneo and Sumatra, causing air pollution levels to surpass over 1,000 in some regions, which is considered hazardous.
- The health ministry reported about 350,000 respiratory illness cases linked to the fires between August and October 25, with Central Kalimantan specifically recording about 31,000 cases.
- Medical professionals on the bus offer residents 5 to 10 minutes of oxygen; patient Oktawina, 44, remarked, "This is a disaster from nature and there is not much we can do."
- Local news website Kompas reported that hundreds of students protested at the provincial governor's office last week, demanding a more robust government response to the ongoing fire crisis.
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35 Articles
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A government bus outfitted with oxygen tanks. Fire fighters collapsing to the ground in relief at the first sign of rain. Dozens of orangutans rescued. And hundreds of Indonesian students marching through the haze, some wearing gas masks, others carrying signs that read, “If we burn, you burn with us.”These are recent scenes from Indonesia’s worst wildfire season in a decade. More than 4.6 million acres have burned across the country since Augus…
A bus equipped with oxygen cylinders and health professionals began to circulate in Palangka Raya, Indonesian island of Borneo, to meet residents with difficulty breathing in the midst of the smoke of forest fires. The free service offers oxygen sessions of five to ten minutes and was implemented in the face of increased respiratory problems associated with air pollution, which reached dangerous levels in different regions of Indonesia.
The Independent
The Independent (US)Indonesia launches mobile ‘oxygen buses’ amid severe haze
Indonesia launches measures to offer oxygen service to people suffering from haze-triggered respiratory illness
Bus fitted with oxygen tanks provides respite from forest fire haze
A bus fitted with oxygen tanks is providing respite to people suffering from poor air quality caused by haze from forest fires as an intense El Niño weather system has driven up temperatures, leaving the country's vast forests more vulnerable to fires.
A bus equipped with oxygen tanks provides shelter to people choking on smoke from forest fires in Palangka Raya, on the Indonesian island of Borneo. The city has seen a rise in respiratory illnesses due to high levels of air pollution from the fires.
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