With ten days left in the year, the number of miners killed in Chinese coal mines has dropped by 21 percent compared to the same period last year.

"The work safety situation is still grave, however. We can't relax," said Li Yizhong, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, at a press conference Thursday.

Chinese coal mines, the world's most deadly, claimed 5,948 lives in 2005. A 21 percent decline in the number of miners killed would mean around 4,800 people lost their lives in coal mine accidents this year.

Li said the number of so-called major accidents in which ten or more miners are killed had decreased sharply.

The decrease is largely due to the closure of small illegally-operated mines, said Zhao Tiechui, SAWS deputy head at the press conference. There were 851 fewer deaths in small mines so far this year, which accounts for almost all of the overall reduction.

China will have closed 1,704 illegal small mines by the end of the year, said Zhao.

The total number of workplace accidents has fallen 9.9 percent year on year to 618,632, with deaths down 10.3 percent to 109,143.

About 320 people are killed every day on average in workplace and traffic accidents in China, said Li, adding that the government is working to reduce the occurrence of workplace accidents,

At the press conference, the SAWS announced the results of its investigations into 11 major accidents, which claimed 535 lives, with 11 still missing, and caused economic losses of 415 million yuan (53 million U.S. dollars).

The administration's investigations resulted in 117 people being referred to judicial departments to face possible criminal charges and 166 people, including two provincial officials, being sanctioned by the Communist Party or given administrative penalties.

One accident involved a passenger plane operated by China Eastern Airlines which crashed into a lake near Baotou City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Nov. 21, 2004, killing 55.

Li Fenghua, chairman of the airline company, was given an administrative warning, while Luo Chaogeng, general manager of the company, was given a serious administrative demerit.

The investigation showed the crash was caused by ice on the wings of the aircraft.

In another accident, 56 people were killed in a colliery blast in Zuoyun County in north China's Shanxi Province in May this year.

The files of 48 people were transferred to judicial departments to face possible criminal charges, including five local workplace safety officials who were arrested and accused of taking bribes.

Source: Xinhua