China has closed nearly 2,000 coal mines across the country since August in a substantial effort to better protect miners' lives, the latest figures from the state work safety watchdog showed.

The operation of approximately 13,000 collieries have been suspended during this period, according to the National Bureau of Production Safety Supervision and Administration in Beijing on Monday.

China launched a massive crackdown on substandard coal mines in August, following the deadly coal mine flooding of Daxing Colliery in southern China, which claimed a total of 123 victims.

China plans to shut down at lease 4,000 coal mines by the end of this year, said an official with the agency.

"We will access the crackdown effort mainly by the number of mines we closed," said the official.

Many Chinese coal mines have operated without legal licenses.

Since the beginning of this year, China has also shut down more than 9,000 coal mines operated illegally.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2005)