China's top steelmaking city issues level 2 smog alert

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top steelmaking city of Tangshan issued a second-level or "orange" pollution alert on Tuesday in response to a wave of smog expected to blanket the region, local government-backed media reported.

The alert will take effect from Jan. 22 until Jan. 25.

Steel mills will have to curtail sintering operation by 30-60 percent, or even shut down, based on their emission levels.

Other industrial plants in coke, cement, casting and pharmaceutical sectors were also ordered to reduce output during the alert.

Diesel-fuelled trucks will also be restricted from transporting commodity materials, the media report said.

(Reporting by Muyu Xu and Vincent Lee)