From January to August 21, a total of 33 major accidents claimed the lives of 951 persons, up 43.5 percent and 134.2 percent from the same period last year, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Li Tieying said Thursday.

Li made a report on the implementation of the law on work safety to the 17th meeting of the 10th NPC Standing Committee Thursday.

He said in his report that more than 700,000 Chinese are injured in workplace accidents every year, and the annual economic losses from the accidents amount to 250 billion yuan. In addition, about 700,000 people are afflicted by occupational diseases every year.

He said in recent years, severe coal mine accidents often occurred, causing tremendous casualties and economic losses. Therefore the NPC paid great attention to coalmine safety in its law enforcement inspection launched early this year.

The law enforcement inspection group found that gas explosion had become the country's "number one killer" of coal miners.

According to the work safety administration, since 1949 China has had 19 severe coal mine accidents each resulting in more than 100 deaths, and 15 among the 29 were caused by gas explosion. The deaths from the 19 accidents numbered 3,162.

From 2002 to Aug. 21, 2005, 29 major coal mine accidents killed 1,743 miners in the country; 24 out of the 29 accidents were caused by gas explosion, killing 1,578 miners.

The law enforcement inspection group found that small coal mines were more prone to accidents. By the end of 2004, China had 23,388 small coal mines.

The total output of small coal mines accounted for one third of the country's total coal output, however, the number of miners killed in accidents in small coal mines accounted for two thirds of the country's total of miners killed in accidents.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2005)