27,700 dead, missing in China workplace accidents

BEIJING - Over 27,700 people were killed or went missing in workplace accidents in the first half of the year, work safety authorities said Tuesday.

The figure represented a drop of 13.9 percent compared with the same period last year, said Wang Dexue, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety.

A total of 226,048 workplace accidents took place during the same period, down 3.8 percent from the first half of 2012, according to Wang.

Wang said work safety is still a major problem, as negligence by local work safety supervisors has led to frequent industrial accidents in China, particularly in the country's mining industry.

A fire that killed 119 people at a poultry plant in Northeast China's Jilin province in June raised concerns about work safety conditions and led to a nationwide work safety overhaul.

Experts said safety rules must be followed strictly to avoid future tragedies, adding that workplace supervision must be fully carried out in order to protect workers' lives.