The accident-haunted Beijing Jingmei Coal Group will invest about 19 million yuan (2.3 million US dollars) to improve safety, according to group officials.

Beijing's coal mine safety inspection office has received the group's improvement plan and inspected its Da'anshan Coal Mine and Changgouyu Coal Mine where accidents have happened.

The group, which had kept a good safety record with no serious accidents for years, was hard hit by a number of deadly accidents since this year's beginning. According to statistics from the Beijing Production Safety Bureau, death toll rose to 17 in accidents that happened in the group's coal mines in the first seven months of 2004.

In June alone, the group saw four accidents that killed 13 people, including one in Da'anshan in which 10 miners were killed.

The group since launched several thorough inspections over safety risks. More than 7 million yuan (843,370 US dollars) will be used to buy new equipment such as portable gas detecting device.The money will also be used to renovate long-standing ventilation problems.

China's private coal mines have notorious safety records while large state-run ones have much better records. The group's case isnot common in state-run coal mine companies that usually have goodsafety equipment and strict safety regulations.

Source: Xinhua