Indonesians praying hard for rain

Indonesian Muslims, most seen wearing pollution masks, gather for special prayers asking for rain in Pekanbaru, Riau province on September 13, 2019. -AFP

Pekanbaru: Hundreds of people held a mass prayer for rain in a smoke-filled Indonesian city, desperately hoping that downpours will extinguish forest fires and wash away the toxic haze covering wide swathes of the country.

Illegal fires to clear land for farming are raging on Indonesia’s Sumatra and Borneo islands with firefighters battling round the clock through charred forests, and water-bombing helicopters deployed to douse the flames.