The government of Luoyang city in Central China's Henan province on June 12 apologized to the public over the city's high pollution levels.

Luoyang's Environmental Protection Bureau said that it felt "deeply ashamed" for being ranked as the most polluted city in the province and apologized to the residents.

Henan's provincial Environment Protection Department released the pollution data of its 18 cities on June 5, showing that the air pollution in Luoyang was the worst.

The pollution in Luoyang is mainly due to its heavy industry, climate conditions, and dust in the urban area, the Luoyang Environmental Protection Bureau said in a statement.

The increasing number of vehicles in the city is also an important factor, the statement said.

The bureau said it will tighten regulations to manage pollution sources, which include heavy industrial companies, construction sites and vehicles.