As of the end of July, work safety authorities had shut down 1,289 coal mines in the nationwide crackdown on illegal production at coal mines, Zhao Tiechui, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety, said on Thursday at a conference in Shuozhou, Shanxi province, to promote mine safety systems.

A total of 86 people had been arrested on criminal charges related to mine safety, he added.

The death toll from coal mine accidents dropped 31 percent to 1,083 nationwide in the first seven months of this year from a year ago, Zhao said.