The Chinese government plans to build a national emergency rescue system for industrial accidents by the end of 2008, according to a senior safety official in Beijing on Thursday.

The system would cover ministries and local governments, and is aimed at improving the efficiency of emergency rescues, said Wang Dexue, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety.

China already has a national rescue service with 250,000 personnel to deal with emergencies, Wang said.

There is an existing preliminary system that operates at the ministerial and provincial levels, but more local governments should be involved, Wang said.

The new system would replace the current arrangement where different departments are involved and the lack of coordination slows operations and hampers efficiency.

The system should be built at three levels: national, provincial and municipal.

Counties with poor work safety records should also have an emergency rescue institution, Wang said.

He also called for all companies and factories to draft emergency plans by the end of the year.

China's notoriously poor industrial accident rate has become more serious with its fast economic growth. Last year, about 127,000 people died in workplace accidents and 17 incidents resulted in death tolls exceeding 30.

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2006)