XI'AN - All five people who were buried after a subway line cave-in on Monday in Northwest China's Shaanxi province have been confirmed dead, local authorities said Tuesday.

All the buried had been found dead, according to sources with the local firefighters and the city's subway authorities. Searching efforts have ended.

Nine people were working underground when the accident occurred around 2:40 am on Monday on a section of the under-construction No 3 subway line in Xi'an, the provincial capital.

Four people were pulled out alive, including three who were unscathed and one who suffered a fracture.

Construction work on the city's subways was suspended after the accident and a work safety inspection has been launched, sources said.