BEIJING - The number of accident-caused deaths in China over the first ten months dropped 13.7 percent year on year, the country's work safety watchdog said on Sunday.

Meanwhile the number of accidents declined 14.1 percent from the same period last year, data released on the website of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) showed.

According to information unveiled earlier by SAWS, a total of 210,797 accidents occurred in China during the January-September period, down 21.3 percent year on year.

The accidents altogether claimed 45,409 lives in China in the meantime, representing a 15.3 percent year-on-year drop, SAWS said.

In its efforts to improve work safety, SAWS planned to shut down 625 small coal mines that have safety risks by the end of the year.