BEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Accidents at Chinese coal mines killed 3,069 people in the first 10 months of this year, a drop of 19 percent over the same period in 2006, state media said, but still ranking China as the world's deadliest coal industry.

The number of deaths from accidents declined some 14 percent to 79,000 in the period, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted the State Administration of Work Safety as saying.

China, the largest producer and consumer of coal, has been battling to improve safety standards in its mines. But accidents are common as enforcement is lax and as mine owners push production beyond safety limits to meet the robust demand for the fuel.

A total of 4,746 Chinese coal miners were killed in thousands of blasts, floods and other accidents last year, down 20 percent from 2005, according to official estimates.

China is also trying to shut by mid-2008 half of its 23,000 small coal mines, where most of the deaths occur.

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