China work accidents leave thousands dead

Accidents in China's mines and factories killed 11,449 people in the first nine months of this year, a jump of nearly 9 percent over the same period last year despite a nationwide safety crackdown, officials said yesterday.

Fatalities were down slightly in accident-plagued Chinese coal mines, but the number of deaths in non-mining industries rose by 19.1 percent to 5,203, said Liu Jiakun, deputy director of the Work Safety Administration.

China launched the safety campaign last year in its mines and factories, which are among the world's deadliest. Authorities announced stiffer penalties for violations and the country's first national force of workplace inspectors.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/China/2003/10/24/1066958343.htm