China on public safety alert for Lunar New Year

"These blood lessons have warned us that public safety should never be taken lightly... and responsibilities for production safety must be spelled out and fulfilled," Xi said.

Xi's comments followed the collapse of a large pile of construction waste in south China's Guangdong Province that killed at least 58 people in Dec.

He cited urban construction projects, outdated houses, waste sites, mines, gas pipes, underground tunnels, dangerous chemicals, glass walls, firecrackers, traffic and mass celebration activities as key areas to pay attention to.

ON THE ROAD

The ministry estimated that more than 2.9 billion trips will be made around the country during the Spring Festival travel rush, with road trips reaching 2.48 billion, a 2.4-percent increase from last year. More individual drivers are also expected.

It warned people of a higher risk for traffic accidents due to the large amount of passengers and abnormal weather conditions this year, including heavy snow or rainfall forecast for many regions.

Local traffic police around the country were urged to keep a closer eye on potential traffic violations and impose harsh punishments on violators.

In east China's Fujian Province, police encouraged migrant workers who would return in groups driving motorcycles to contact Fujian police for travel tips beforehand, and if necessary, request a police escort.

The ministry is cooperating with digital mapping applications to release real-time traffic data for Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu municipalities and Guangdong Province along with 17 key freeway sections in order to help guide drivers.