TAIYUAN -Twelve people suspected of trafficking children have been detained in North China's Shanxi province, local police said on March 29.

Authorities solved 17 human trafficking cases spanning 15 provinces and regions after detaining the suspects in the village of Erdaopo, police said, adding that an investigation was still under way.

Local authorities also rescued 23 children in the process of detaining the suspects.

Police cracked 5,320 trafficking cases involving children last year, rescuing 8,660 children in the same year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security.