China vows mining safety

Beijing - China will launch a nationwide campaign to improve safety at its mining facilities, the government announced Friday.

The three-year campaign is aimed at regulating mining activity and shutting down illegal or dangerous mines, Xinhua quoted the State Council's work safety committee as saying.

Although the number of mining-related accidents and deaths has dropped in recent years, the sheer number of mines will make the task challenging, the committee noted.

Ninety-five percent of China's 100,000 metal and non-metal mines are prone to accidents, the committee said.