Forest fires in Indonesia, which destroyed huge patches of greenery last year, have led to the deaths of thousands of people, according to researchers. New research reveals that the dense smoke from the forest fires could be the cause for more than 100,000 deaths.

According to the New York Times, the recent finding has piled pressure on the Indonesian government to look into the yearly forest fire. The study was carried out by scientists at Columbia University and Harvard. The findings of the study have been published in the journal of Environmental Research Letters.

Like Us on Facebook

The study has been welcomed by Indonesian medical scientists, who have for many years warned the government about the health hazards that forest fires pose to the public. The fires have been an annual problem for the past 18 years. Clearing new land for the production of pulp, paper, and palm oil is the motive behind the illegal burning of forest and peat fires on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

While the number of those affected by the fire was derived through complex analysis, the figure is yet to be officially validated.

The number of deaths linked to respiratory illnesses stretches across neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. The fumes carried across Sumatra have been a source of tensions between Indonesia and neighboring nations.

Environmental Science Associate Professor at Murdoch University, Frank Murray told Bloomberg that the death counts are not "precise health outcomes." However, he said the large figure could trigger warnings that are desperately required to deal with the situation.

According to the scientists, the probability of premature deaths are between 26,300 and 170, 300. The figure of 100,000 deaths has been taken as the average of these two figures. The figures have been broken down as follows - 6,500 deaths in Malaysia, 2,200 death in Singapore, and 91,600 estimated deaths in Indonesia.

The following video discussses the forest fire situation in Indonesia in detail: