Chile declares pollution emergency in Santiago

Officials in Chile declared an environmental emergency in the capital city of Santiago on Monday with around 700,000 cars being removed from the roads in a bid to reduce air pollution.

The announcement has forced more than 900 industries to temporarily cease operations and about 40 per cent of the city’s 1.7 million have been given a short term ban.

A statement from Chile’s the Ministry of Environment Ministry said: "We're currently facing unusual conditions, with one of the driest Junes in over 40 years as well as really bad air circulation conditions in the Santiago valley in recent days, which boosts the concentration of contamination."

The emergency will be in place for an initial period of 24 hours and could be extended by officials if conditions do not improve sufficiently.

According to reports, a lack of rain and wind has allowed concentrations of PM2.5 particulate matter to build up, creating smog in the city.

Research has linked articulate matter has been linked to heart disease and environmental degradation.