Smog choking central and eastern China caused authorities Saturday to issue an orange alert as the number of people seeking treatment in hospitals for respiratory problems jumped and sales of air filters and masks skyrocketed, dpa reported. The alert was raised from yellow to the second-highest level on China's four-tier warning system for extreme weather, in which red is the highest, as the pollution reduced visibility to a soup, disrupted flights and caused many people to stay home. "It stinks like smoke," a woman in Shanghai said. "The air really scratches in your throat. We've never experience such terrible smog." -- SPA 19:19 LOCAL TIME 16:19 GMT تغريد
