China executes 59 in one day

PEKING (AP) - At least 59 people were executed in China on Saturday, many accused of robbery on the railways and roads, in a warning against crime during the Lunar New Year.

Six people were executed in Shanghai for a series of train robberies that began in 1988. Another six were shot in the southern city of Huizhou for robbing vehicles on the roads of the Pearl River delta.

Increasing traffic on the railways, the result of China's economic boom, has led to soaring crime and accidents. Around the Lunar New Year, 23 January, the system must accommodate millions more passengers rushing home to spend the holiday with their families.