Beijing - Twelve people were executed in central China's Henan province after their death sentences were read out during a mass rally, state media reported on Tuesday.

The executions of the 12 were carried out on Sunday in the Henan provincial capital of Zhengzhou, the Beijing Morning Post said, without specifying their crimes.

The newspaper carried photographs showing the convicted criminals being transported to the execution ground on trucks with signs marked "Criminals Sentenced to Death".

The twelve, one of them appearing to be wearing a black mask, were surrounded by heavily armed civilian and paramilitary police.

China executes more people every year than the rest of the world combined, with Chinese studies estimating about 10 000 state-approved killings annually.