KUALA LUMPUR - Prominent Malaysian bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zin - who first gained infamy after staging rituals to help in the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane - has come under the spotlight again after performing another ritual to battle the country's haze.

The 81-year-old self-described faith healer had attracted widespread ridicule last year after he and his assistants wielded large green coconuts over their heads and used bamboo binoculars as part of a ritual to locate the missing flight MH370. The ritual - captured in photos and videos that caught the attention of the international media - went viral, sparking many online spoofs.

The bomoh and his assistants have now performed a prayer ritual to rid the country of the haze, with video of their antics generating another viral sensation among Malaysians.

In a two-minute clip posted by news portal Suara TV on Sept 16, the bomoh is seen reading prayers over an ice block set on top of a steel pot.

"We pray that with the ice block placed on this pot, this ritual will help the people in Malaysia receive light and clean air," Ibrahim is seen saying in the video, where he is flanked by 10 of his assistants.

Ibrahim - who employed the use of the bamboo binoculars again in the video - also claims that the ritual is a traditional method that has been used for hundreds of years.

The video has since been viewed 38,366 times.

The worsening air quality in Malaysia had forced some schools in Sarawak to close on Thursday and led to the disruption of several flights.

Most areas of Malaysia saw moderate air quality on Friday except for parts of Kedah, Penang and Perak, where air quality was at the unhealthy range as of 8pm.