BEIJING -- Some 23,500 accidents occurred in China during the first half of the year, resulting in 14,100 deaths, a senior official said on Thursday.

The two figures represented year-on-year declines of 8.8 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, said Yang Huanning, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, during a teleconference.

Industries including coal mining, road transportation and railway transportation reported fewer accidents and deaths during the first half compared with the same period last year.

Yang urged local authorities to stay vigilant against workplace accidents during the second half, as China still faces grave and complicated challenges in work safety.