BEIJING - The country's construction sector has been hit with rampant corruption as the economic recovery fuels an overheating property market, the vice-minister of supervision has said.

From October last year to the end of April this year, 5,241 people, including officials and others with administrative ranks, have been punished by the Communist Party of China (CPC) or the government, Hao Mingjin, vice-minister of supervision, said on Thursday at a press conference.

The punishments were part of a crackdown, headed by Hao, that targeted offenses related to construction projects.