TAIYUAN -- North China's Shanxi Province, the country's largest coal producer, shut down 3,550 illegal coal mines last year.

The province also closed 2,517 illegal mines of other natural resources last year, said Zhang Huaiwen, director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Land and Resources.

Meanwhile, 196 people were punished for violating Party and government disciplines and 198 others were punished on criminal charges, Zhang said.

A total of 476 people died in 149 fatal coal mine accidents in the province last year, according to the provincial coal industry bureau.

Zhang pledged a more severe crackdown on illegal mining activities this year.

China is the world's largest coal producer and consumer. The country produced 2.1 billion tons of coal to drive its fast-growing economy in 2005, a quarter of which came from Shanxi Province.