A bus is salvaged ashore after it crashed into a river in Pingshan County, North China's Hebei Province, on Monday morning. Photo: CCTV

A total of 14 people were confirmed dead on Wednesday after a commuting bus carrying 51 passengers falls into a river in Pingshan County, North China's Hebei Province, on Monday morning.

A working group led by Liu Zhao, Vice Minister of Public Security, went to the spot to investige the accident on Monday. Zhao Kezhi, Minister of Public Security, urged local public security organs to continue the rescue work and look into the cause of the accident. Those who are responsible will be held accountable, Zhao said.

Local governmental departments established a rescue team after the accident, and as of 3 pm, 40 people had been rescued and 13 passengers were killed. 

The blue bus was salvaged ashore. The rescue is ongoing. Rescued personnel were given medical treatment.

The public security organ has controlled the driver. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Reports said the accident occurred in Hebei's Pingshan county around 7 am. The bus is a commuting bus of Jingye Group, a Hebei-based steel company. 

Jingye Group is the first private enterprise in Hebei whose operating revenue exceeded 200 billion yuan in the year of 2021. It ranks the top of the top 100 private enterprises and the top 100 manufacturing private enterprises in the province, a report said.