China reports fewer coal mine accidents in recent years

BEIJING - China's coal mine safety conditions saw steady improvement in recent years, with fewer accidents and deaths, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

China saw two severe or major accidents in coal mines in 2018, down from 58 in 2005.

The death toll from coal mine accidents stood at 333 last year, down 95.2 percent from a previous maximum of nearly 8,000, the ministry said.

China has established a vertical supervision system in coal mine safety with nearly 3,000 professional supervisors, said vice minister Sun Huashan.

The country also formulated a series of laws and regulations, improved infrastructure and technology investment and closed some unsafe coal mines, said Sun.