China's top steelmaking city issues 'orange' smog alert

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's biggest steelmaking city, Tangshan, issued a second-level or "orange" pollution alert for a wave of smog expected to blanket the region, a website run by the city government reported on Sunday.

The alert for Tangshan, which is east of Beijing on China's coast, will be in effect from January 28 until January 30, it said.

Steel mills will have to curtail sintering operation by 30 to 60 percent, or even shut, 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 website said.

(Reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Richard Borsuk)