Indonesian haze reaches southern Philippines

Thick haze, believed to be from Indonesia's forest fires, engulfs the city of Davao, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. - AFP / Dennis Jay Santos

The large southern Philippine island of Mindanao is more than 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the nearest fires but the haze has become a worsening problem over the past week, aviation authorities said.

Two domestic flights have been cancelled and dozens delayed at 10 airports on Mindanao since October 16, affecting thousands of passengers, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said.