China has world's longest traffic jam

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- China worked Tuesday to unclog the world's longest traffic jam stretching from Beijing to the northern province of Inner Mongolia, officials say.

The 60-mile backup on the country's main north-south highway was being shifted to a parallel road but that road was also experiencing a slowdown, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported.

The backup was caused by thousands of trucks bringing coal and perishable goods into Beijing. As a result of the overload, trucks were crawling along at approximately 2 miles per day.

Local newspapers reported that the massive traffic jam sent entrepreneurs onto the highway to sell fruit, nuts, water and instant noodles to stranded truck drivers who passed the time playing cards.

One driver said some of the sellers used strong-arm tactics, threatening to break windshields if drivers refused to buy from them or complained about the price of what they were selling.