China's August coal output falls 7.7% amid safety focus after accidents

Business Recorder, citing Reuters, reported that China's coal output in August fell 7.7% from a year earlier, based on figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The country produced 361.82 million metric tons during the month, up from 343.21 million tons in July. The decline continues a trend that has emerged alongside tighter safety checks following two deadly mine accidents this year.

Output for January to August totalled 3.06 billion tons, down 3.3% from the same period last year. Safety concerns stayed high after a gas explosion at a Lianyuan coal mine in Hunan province on August 14, which killed seven people and left one injured, state media reported.

The Lianyuan blast came after the Liushenyu mine accident in Shanxi in May. Described as China's deadliest in 17 years, that event killed 82 people and prompted inspections of mines and shutdowns throughout the province.