More strenuous security measures taken in the third quarter have helped ensure production safety across the country, said Li Rongrong, minister in charge of the State Economic and Trade Commission, here Wednesday.
During Wednesday's national teleconference on industrial safety, the minister said over all the number of major accidents resulting in death tolls of more than 30 had fallen 53.9 percent, year-on-year in the last eight months.
During the same period, the coalmine sector, recognized as China's most lethal in terms of industrial accidents, registered a39 percent drop in casualties, Li said, adding that no major accidents had occurred on roads or waterways.
However, 4.6 percent more people were killed in road accidents in the first seven months than in the corresponding period of the previous year, as the number of autos on the roads increased by 14percent, Li said.
The minister said that Tianjin, Hainan, Ningxia, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu and Fujian were among the regions that reported marked progress in promoting industrial safety.
(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2002)
