At least 25 people were killed after a cargo ship caught fire while undergoing repairs at a shipyard in China on Thursday, state media reported.
The blaze erupted at around 11am local time aboard the vessel at Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in Qingdao, a major port city on China’s northeastern coast. The ship was docked at the facility for repair work when the fire started.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody. The ship is sailing under the Liberian flag, according to vessel-tracking website VesselFinder.
A total of 42 people were aboard the vessel at the time of the incident. Twelve were evacuated safely, while five others were injured and taken to hospital. Their conditions were reported to be stable.
Emergency teams managed to bring the fire under control by around 2:30pm, roughly three-and-a-half hours after it was first reported. Videos shared online showed workers attempting to tackle the flames aboard the ship.
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued instructions for an urgent rescue operation and directed authorities to locate those who remained unaccounted for. Premier Li Qiang also called for efforts to rescue anyone still trapped aboard the vessel.
Xi called for preventive measures to be fully implemented and urged authorities to take all necessary steps to prevent major and catastrophic accidents.
The incident occurred at Beihai Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), one of the world’s largest shipbuilding companies. Beihai Shipbuilding specialises in ship construction as well as repair and related marine services.
Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the fire and determine the circumstances that led to the deaths and injuries.
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