In 53,173 accidents throughout China in October 9,007 people lost their lives the country's safety supervisory body said Monday on its website.

The death toll was down 9.7 percent or 964 less than October last year and the number of accidents dropped by 9.8 percent which is 5,769 less than October of 2005, according to the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).

The administration said 529 people were killed in 130 major accidents throughout China last month. These figures are down 12 and 12.8 percent respectively from the same month a year ago.

SAWS said coal mine accidents rose sharply since early October with 345 people killed in 174 such accidents in October. The figures are up 44.4 and 26.1 percent respectively from September.

They attributed the increase of coal mine accidents during production to an overly relaxed management style. Coal mine safety was a "serious" problem facing the industry, SAWS said.  

Last Sunday 17 miners were killed in a gas explosion at a coalmine in north China's Shanxi Province and another 30 remain missing.

SAWS Director Li Yizhong and head of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety Li Tiechui went to the scene to assist organize rescue operations.

A gas blast at a coal mine in northeast China's Jilin Province on Saturday left seven miners dead. On October 31 a gas explosion at a coal mine in northwest China's Gansu Province claimed the lives of 29 people. On October 5 a gas blast killed 10 miners at a coal mine in Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.

China's mining industry is the deadliest in the world. Each year approximately 6,000 people are killed in explosions, floods, collapses or other accidents.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2006)