The Chinese Ministry of Public Security has said that 1,455 Chinese students were killed and 5,905 injured in traffic accidents in the first four months of this year as against a death toll of 4,205 and 21,000 injuries last year. 

A total 19 cases of crimes that "fatally endangered school teachers and students and kindergarten kids" were reported to the ministry. Nine people were killed and 34 others injured as against 67 cases of this kind that killed 50 people and injured 171 others last year, the ministry also said.

The ministry said that there were 326 campus fire accidents that killed four people and injured one in the first four months as against 799 such cases that killed 12 people and injured nine in 2004.

China has 600,000 schools and kindergartens with more than 200 million students and preschool children, who are "a special group of people" but are endangered by a variety of security problems, police said.

The ministry noted that major "lurking dangers" that plague children are bad traffic order near schools and kindergartens, unhealthy amusement places near schools, campus crimes, and food poisoning.

The Ministry of Education has asked local administrative departments in charge of education to instruct and supervise schools in putting into effect responsible security systems and warned that neglect leading to serious accidents will be punished.

(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2005)