Major fire breaks out at Chinese shipyard during repair work; 25 dead, several injured

BEIJING: A major fire broke out on a cargo ship docked for repairs at a shipyard in the Chinese port city of Qingdao on Thursday. Twenty-five people were killed in the incident, while several others are feared trapped or missing inside the vessel.

The fire broke out around 11.15 am local time at the Beihai Shipbuilding Company shipyard in Qingdao, Shandong province. There were 42 people on board the vessel at the time. China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that the fire broke out on a foreign cargo ship that had arrived at the port for repair work.

MarineTraffic data identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody, a bulk carrier around 190 metres long and operating under the Liberian flag. Chinese authorities launched an emergency rescue operation following the incident. The cause of the fire remains unclear. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to search for those missing and take strict action against those responsible for the accident. Chinese Premier Li Qiang directed authorities to rescue those trapped and ensure that the injured receive necessary medical treatment.

Images released by Xinhua showed several fire engines stationed near a large ship docked at the shipyard. Following the incident, Xi also ordered comprehensive safety inspections at fire-prone locations across the country and directed authorities to address any safety lapses found during the inspections.