Hebei witnessed a sharp decline in coal mining accidents in 2013 because small coal mines in the province were shut down, the province’s work safety authority said.

During the first 11 months of the year, 10 coal mine accidents occurred in the province, a 52.4 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. Altogether, the accidents killed 22 people, a year-on-year decrease of 38.9 percent.

“Shutting down the small coal mines has been proven to be an effective way of making coal mining safer,” Liu Baoling, director of Hebei Administration of Work Safety, said on Thursday, adding that these coal mines did not have sufficient protective facilities, making them susceptible to accidents.

In Hebei, the number of coal mines has dropped from 1,147 in 2005 to 262 in 2013.

Currently, 94 percent of the coal mines are under the control of State-owned companies or government authorities, which account for 95 percent of the production.