Source: http://www.miningweekly.com, CNN.com                    Date: 20 October, 2010

The Chinese government closed down 1,355 small coal mines in the first nine months of the year, already surpassing its target for the year. This bid to improve safety and reduce pollution in the industry means 125.2 million tons less of local coal production. China's coal production still climbed 17% in the first nine months to 2.4 billion tons, as new production was added to replace outdated mines.

However, despite small and unsafe mines being closed, fatalities in the industry so far this year have remained flat compared with the same period in 2009. Accidents killed 2,631 Chinese coal miners in 2009, a considerable drop from the 6,995 deaths reported in 2002. By comparison, the United States had 34 mining deaths in 2009, a record low for the country.