Smog cloaks Delhi as Diwali firecrackers push air pollution to hazardous levels

A man wears a face mask as he jogs in the early morning smog (Manish Swarup/AP)

A thick layer of toxic smog cloaked India’s capital on Friday, as smoke from firecrackers used to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels.

New Delhi’s air quality index plunged into the “severe” category, according to Safar, India’s main environmental monitoring agency.