Haze in Kuala Lumpur.. but Earthquake in China..

Stepped out of the office this afternoon to go to lunch and whaddayaknow... the haze is back! The unmistakable smell of smoke is in the air. Reports said more than a hundred hotspots (from just 1 when the haze was under control) have been spotted, most of which are at the Riau province. As a result, Bukit Rambai in Malacca being closest to that part of Sumatra is getting the smoke as the wind carries it over the Straits of Malacca.

A few other places in the Peninsula Malaysia are beginning to get unhealthy PSI readings. At 3pm, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur had a PSI reading of 117 while Banting in Selangor at 111. Bandaraya Malacca was at 105 while Bukit Rambai (Malacca) at 126.

By comparison, the haze is insignificant as opposed to the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 7:45 this morning at Gansu province in China. 54 people have died. A second 5.6 earthquake struck the same region about 90 minutes after the first, Xinhua said, the most significant of several aftershocks.

People stand outside their homes after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Dingxi, Gansu province, July 22, 2013. REUTERS/China Daily

Eight towns in the remote, mountainous area sustained serious damage in the quake and subsequent flooding and mudslides. About 380 buildings had collapsed and 5,600 sustained damaged in Zhangxian county.

More: The Star..China quake death toll more than doubles to 54, hundreds hurt