Firecrackers from Diwali celebrations shroud Delhi in toxic smog

Density of fine pollutants was nearly 1,665 in one part of the city - the safe limit is 25

Pollution in the Indian capital Delhi exceeded the safe limit by 66 times on Thursday, shrouding the city in toxic fumes the morning after millions of firecrackers were burst for the Hindu festival Diwali.

Delhi government monitors showed the density of fine pollutants - small enough to evade the body's natural defences and breach the blood-brain barrier - reached 1,665 in Anand Vihar, a central neighbourhood. The World Health Organisation's safe limit for pollutants that size is 25.