New Delhi wakes up to toxic smog after Diwali revellers defied a firecracker ban and risked jail to celebrate the annual Hindu festival.
According to international monitoring company IQAir, harmful PM 2.5 particles surged to 350 on the air quality index -- more than three times the reading a day earlier.
The reading for the particulates -- so tiny they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream -- is more than 23 times the recommended daily maximum set by the World Health Organization.