During the first quarter of this year, the death toll was 1,090, a 7.8% decrease compared to the same period last year.

However, Deputy director of the State Administration of work safety Zhao Tiechui told Associated Press that the outlook for further decreasing the number of coal mine related deaths in China was still grim.

Zhao said lax policing and greedy mine operators who value profits over human life were to blame as pressure continues to mount on China to reduce its coal mining fatalities.

According to Zhao a large proportion of the deaths had occurred at locally run mines that were operating illegally and were overproducing coal with poorly trained miners.

"Last year, serious accidents occurred at 36 of the small mines and 19 of them weren't operating legally," he said.

A total of 72 coal miners were killed in the worst accident so far this year at the Mengnanzhuang mine in the north-eastern province of Shanxi.

Zhao said the investigation was ongoing into this incident and he would not comment on the details of the case, but he did say, "It's my own opinion that this coal mine was operated illegally."