5 murderers executed in northern China

Five miners who killed four colleagues and then faked accidents to claim compensation have been executed, the Higher People's Court of Hebei Province announced Thursday.

The men were convicted of running a 21-member gang that bludgeoned the victims to death with hammers at an iron mine in Wu'an, Handan city of north China's Hebei, from July 2011 to June 2012, according to the Supreme People's Court.

They attempted to cover up the murders and make them appear as accidents. The gang claimed 1.8 million yuan (270,190 U.S. dollars) in compensation from the mine, posing as family of the men they had murdered.

The case was reviewed by the Higher People's Court of Hebei Province, which upheld the death sentence for the men in May 2015.

Zhang Weilan, Zhao Jun, Zhang Chengyong, Xu Chengde and Yan Shiyong lodged an appeal against the death sentence given by the Intermediate People's Court of Handan city two years ago.

The case is eerily similar to the movie "Blind Shaft," which won a Silver Bear at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival.

Other members of the gang were all jailed.

Source: XINHUA