It's so hazy - Every breath a struggle, as air pollution harms health in Thailand

This file photo taken on April 17, 2023 shows buildings amid air pollution as the sun sets in Bangkok. Some 2.4 million people in Thailand have sought hospital treatment for health problems linked to air pollution since the start of the year, health officials said, as toxic smog chokes Bangkok and the country's north. - AFP

BANGKOK, Thailand, April 22, 2023 (AFP): An elderly patient hooked up to a tangle of tubes lies struggling for breath in a Bangkok hospital as Thailand battles a "drastic increase" in respiratory problems caused by a spike in air pollution.

His wife holds his hand and strokes his face, with a nurse in blue scrubs listening to his chest through a stethoscope.