Sarajevo Bosnia smog: City chokes on toxic winter fog [Video]

SARAJEVO, Bosnia –

Flights were grounded and people were told to stay indoors as a thick blanket of smog Thursday engulfed Bosnia’s capital of Sarajevo as residents tried to cope with toxic air.

The Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, put Sarajevo’s air quality index, or AQI, at a “very unhealthy” 225, ranking the city as the third most-polluted in the world.

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“This is horrible, we are chocking, particularly people with heart conditions,” said pensioner Hajra Subasic. “I can barely breathe, you see how hard it is for me to speak.”

Sarajevo and other major cities in the Balkans are traditionally very polluted during winter months as countries there rely on coal and wood for heating. Experts have warned of effects on people’s health because bad air is linked to …