Twenty-five people have died following a major fire on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a port in eastern China, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and BBC News. The blaze erupted at approximately 11:15 local time while the vessel was undergoing routine maintenance at a shipyard in the major trading hub of Qingdao.
Out of the 42 people on board at the time of the incident, 17 individuals were successfully evacuated. Five of the survivors were admitted to a local hospital, where medical officials confirmed their conditions remain stable. Firefighting crews managed to extinguish the intense flames just over three hours after the emergency call was reported.
State media imagery identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody, a 190-meter Liberia-flagged carrier that arrived at the Qingdao port on August 31, according to marine tracking data. Authorities have not yet determined the exact cause of the fire. An eyewitness reported seeing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the carrier without hearing any preceding explosions.
In response to the tragedy, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out rescue and search operations, while Premier Li Qiang emphasized the urgent need to prevent secondary disasters at the site. Qingdao is recognized globally as one of the busiest maritime shipping and commercial ports.
This maritime disaster follows a separate industrial incident nearly a month prior, when a shipyard explosion in south-eastern China`s Fujian province resulted in one fatality and twelve injuries. Local authorities have launched a formal investigation to determine the exact sequence of events leading up to the vessel fire.
