JINAN - Thirteen people had been confirmed dead after a mining capsule fell out of control into a pit at an iron ore mine in Shandong province Thursday, local authorities said.

The accident happened at 1 am at the Shimen Iron Ore Mine in Lucheng township, Cangshan county of the city of Linyi. As of 7 pm Thursday, searching job had been completed and 13 people were confirmed dead, said an official of the provincial government.

Initial investigation showed that the capsule fell down as the steel rope broke, the official said.

The provincial government had set up an investigation team and further investigation into the accident is underway.

The privately-run Shimen Iron Ore Mine belongs to the Jinan Iron and Steel Group.