Deaths, accidents in China's coal mines down

There were fewer accidents and a lower death toll in China's mining sector in 2021, despite national coal production reaching a record high last year, according to the National Mine Safety Administration.

"Production safety in the mining sector has been continuously improving," said Zhang Xin, the administration's deputy head.

There were a total of 356 mining accidents across the country last year, a year-on-year decrease of 16 percent, he said. The number of people killed fell by 12.7 percent to 503.

He said the improvements had taken place during a challenging period for safety caused by the epidemic and also the increased output of coal.

China's coal production reached a historic high of 4.1 billion metric tons in 2021, up by 5.7 percent year-on-year, he said.

The death rate per million tons produced also dropped by 24 percent to 0.044, he said.

The administration gave the green light to 207 coal mines to moderately boost production in 2021, which helped increase coal output by 110 million tons, he noted.

To promote mining safety operations, the administration is offering one-to-one consulting services and has asked the mines' mother companies to dispatch teams to enhance safety management, he said.