At least 25 people killed in cargo ship blaze in Chinese port
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for intensified search and rescue efforts, and a probe into the cause of a fire that broke out aboard the foreign cargo ship.
Posted Thu 10 Sep 2026 at 9:55pmThu 10 Sep 2026 at 9:55pm, updated Fri 11 Sep 2026 at 12:17amFri 11 Sep 2026 at 12:17am
A repair cargo ship caught fire at a port in Qingdao. (Xinhua: Li Aoqiu via AP)
In short:
At least 25 people have died and five are missing after a fire broke out on a cargo ship docked at a Chinese port.
Chinese state media reports 42 people were aboard the vessel which was undergoing repairs at a major shipyard.
What's next?
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for intensified search efforts and a probe into the cause of the fire.
At least 25 people have been killed and five remain missing after a cargo ship caught fire while docked in a Chinese port in the east of the country.
"A foreign cargo ship of Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, Shandong Province, caught fire during its port call for maintenance, causing heavy casualties," state news agency Xinhua news agency said.
A photo released by Xinhua news identified the ship as the Ocean Melody, which sails under a Liberian flag, according to the public vessel-tracking website VesselFinder.
A total of 42 people had been on the vessel, and 12 of them were safely evacuated, Xinhua reported.
The ship was docked for repairs at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the north-eastern Chinese coast.
Beihai Shipbuilding is part of the state-controlled China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world's largest shipbuilder.
A total of 42 people had been on the vessel, and 12 of them were safely evacuated, according to Chinese state media. (Xinhua: Li Aoqiu via AP)
Its main businesses include shipbuilding and ship repairing, according to Beihai Shipbuilding's website.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for intensified search and rescue efforts, a swift investigation and accountability measures after the deadly fire broke out aboard the foreign cargo ship.
"All regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from this incident, thoroughly investigate and rectify all types of fire hazards,"
he said.
State media reported the fire broke out around 11am (1pm AEST) Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30pm local time (4:30pm AEST).
Premier Li Qiang also urged the search and rescue of "trapped" people, and for those injured to receive medical treatment, "and strictly prevent secondary disasters".
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