BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 14,405 workplace accidents occurred in China in the first four months of 2017, down 25.4 percent from the same period last year, official data showed on Wednesday.

No "extremely severe accidents" occurred, which in China refers to those that cause more than 30 deaths, leave more than 100 severely injured or result in more than 100 million yuan (about 15 million U.S. dollars) in direct economic losses.

By the end of April, authorities had sent out 37 teams to inspect safety at over 400 businesses in 21 provinces and regions, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.

The inspections found more than 2,000 safety issues, and over 20 companies were ordered to halt business.

Despite regular calls by the government for more focus on work safety, tragedies still occur. A lack of safety awareness, poor regulation and lax implementation of safety measures are among the factors leading to accidents.