Smog to continue in Beijing, surrounding regions

BEIJING -- Light to heavy air pollution will continue to affect the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region over the next few days, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Thursday.

The average density of PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the region on Wednesday surged by 60 percent and 35 percent, respectively, from the previous, said Luo Yi, MEP official in charge of monitoring.

Of 13 cities in the region, "severe pollution" was reported in Beijing as of 4 p.m. on Thursday, "heavy pollution" in cities like Langfang and Baoding, and moderate and light pollution in Tianjin and others.

Air pollution will continue throughout the region from Friday until next Tuesday, according to the ministry.