China corruption website crashes!

The tip-off system was deluged with visitors after its launch

A Chinese website set up so people can inform on corrupt officials has been inundated with so many visitors that it crashed shortly after launching.

Staff said the website was designed to cope with a maximum of 1,000 people making a complaint at the same time.

But the number of people using the site far exceeded this when it was launched on Monday.

A Beijing News editorial said the site's popularity showed that people preferred national to local inquiries.

The idea of the 24-hour anti-corruption website (www.12309.gov.cn) and its accompanying hotline number was to inform central government officials about local-level corruption.

An earlier version of this nationwide tip-off system generated 20,000 reports of official abuse in 2008.

Corruption is a huge problem in China, and correspondents say the central authorities are keen to crack down on it to prevent the issue weakening government control.

BBC NEWS REPORT.