Indonesia forest fires: Widodo to visit stricken regions as death toll mounts

Nineteen people have died and half a million have fallen ill in two months as haze from thousands of fires chokes south-east Asia

The death toll from acrid haze blanketing parts of Indonesia has climbed to 19, a minister said Wednesday, almost double the previous figure as the crisis from widespread forest fires worsens.

For nearly two months, thousands of fires caused by slash-and-burn farming in Indonesia have choked vast expanses of south-east Asia, forcing schools to close and scores of flights and some international events to be cancelled.