BEIJING - Chinese police had arrested 4,955 train ticket scalpers by Tuesday and confiscated 31,000 tickets worth more than 5 million yuan ($759,000), according to the Ministry of Public Security.

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A statement on the ministry website said policemen across the nation had broken up 1,060 ticket-scalping rings in a crackdown that began in December, in advance of the Spring Festival holiday from Feb 2 to 8.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese travel across the country to spend the Spring Festival holiday with their families. The holiday marks the start of the Lunar New Year, which fell on Feb 3 this year.

In addition, police cracked down on drink-driving, over-loaded vehicles and other road safety hazards. According to the statement, from Feb 2 to Monday evening, no major accidents involving five or more deaths on the nation's expressways or trunk roads had been reported.

According to a statement released by the ministry on Monday, major road accidents had claimed the lives of 44 people in China since Feb 2, the eve of the Lunar New Year.

According to the Monday statement, six road accidents, each killing at least five people, were reported nationwide from Feb 2 to 7.

Most cases involved small vehicles in head-on collisions, and most of the victims were known to each other, said the statement.