The popular tourist destination recorded an Air Quality Index of 168 which is considered ‘unhealthy’ while the level of PM2.5 pollutants – cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the blood

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced more than 350 schools to close on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years. The reading makes the Thai capital currently the world's seventh-most polluted major city.

More than 350 schools in Bangkok have been forced to close due to air pollution, authorities in Thailand’s capital have said.

The travel concession allows passengers to ride buses and elevated and underground electric trains in the capital without charge.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the decision was made after Bangkok was ranked as the fourth worst city in the world for air quality according to the latest data from Swiss-based IQAir on January 24.

Air pollution has led to the closure of over 350 schools in Bangkok, as the city ranked seventh in the world for pollution. Levels of harmful PM2.5 pollutants were significantly above WHO guidelines.

Thai authorities on Friday closed over 350 schools in the capital Bangkok due to air pollution, according to local media. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered the closure of all of its 352 schools and holding online classes due to the city’s poor air quality, the media outlet Khaosod English reported.