A total of 106,367 people died in 760,327 traffic accidents last year.

Fu Jianhua, a senior official with the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety Supervision, said that, although the number of accidents declined last year compared with the year before, there were still 1 million accidents last year. These claimed 130,000 deaths nationwide.

Lack of safety awareness is the main cause of all accidents in China, Fu told a national conference on coal mining safety Monday.

Of all the accidents reported, 140 of them were very serious ones, with death tolls of more than 10 each. These claimed 2,556 lives overall although this figure was 27.6 percent down from the previous year.

Workplace accidents were also a big concern, Fu said.

Dilapidated infrastructure and a lack of safety awareness must be dealt with to improve workplace safety, Fu said.

While the number of small private mines and factories have decreased sharply over the past two years, there was a risk of further workplace disasters due to the continued operation of some small mines through the underground actions of local leaders at county and township levels, added Fu.

Many accidents occur in small companies with no strict management guidelines or standardized administration.

The grim situation has prompted the country to launch a national safety campaign among the public, said Fu.

(China Daily April 9, 2002)