ARN News Centre

Smog-ridden Mexico City suspends school classes due to pollution

Thursday, 16 May 2019 09:31

Schools in and around Mexico City have been ordered to shut down on Thursday due to rising levels of air pollution.

In a statement, the education ministry said all public and private schools in the Mexico City metropolitan area will be closed, and urged children to remain indoors.

Two of the city's main universities also suspended classes in the metropolitan area on Thursday.

On Tuesday, authorities declared an environmental emergency in response to a sharp rise in air pollution caused by brush fires.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the situation "highly regrettable".

More from International

At least 9 killed in hotel fire in India's Kolkata

At least nine people have been killed, including a child, in a fire at a hotel in India's eastern city of Kolkata on Wednesday, local police said.
Ebola cases in Congo exceed 5,000, government data shows

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds 5,000, government data has showed late on Tuesday, as health officials warn that response efforts are failing to contain the deadly disease.
8 Israeli airstrikes hit Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase, state TV reports

Eight Israeli airstrikes have hit the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria early on Tuesday, targeting the runway and storage facilities, Syria's state-run Ekhbariya said, citing a military source.
Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 70, government aid arrives

The death toll from the powerful 7.7-magnitude quake that struck Indonesia last Saturday has risen to 70.
China's torrential rains kill 10 in southwest as thousands evacuated

Torrential rains have killed 10 people in China's southwest following a house collapse and a landslide, state broadcaster CCTV said on Wednesday, with tens of thousands also evacuated as a precaution.