A fire that broke out aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs at a state-owned shipyard in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao has left 25 people dead and five others injured, according to Chinese state media.
The blaze erupted at around 11:15 a.m. local time on Thursday at the Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co. yard, which is part of China State Shipbuilding Corp. Local authorities and state broadcaster CCTV reported that firefighters brought the fire under control at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The vessel involved was identified as the Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier Ocean Melody. A total of 42 people were on board when the fire broke out.
Twelve people were successfully evacuated from the vessel, while five others were injured and transported to hospital. Their condition was reported as stable. The remaining 25 people who had initially been reported missing were later found dead, bringing the confirmed death toll to 25, Xinhua and other Chinese state media reported on Thursday evening.
The 20-year-old Ocean Melody had arrived at the Qingdao shipyard on Aug. 31 for repair and inspection. According to Chinese state media reports, the vessel is managed by Yuyangkunpeng Shanghai Ship Management and owned by Huili Shipping Co., Xinhua reported.
Footage shared online showed thick clouds of smoke rising from the vessel while it was moored at the shipyard, illustrating the severity of the fire at one of China’s major shipbuilding and ship-repair facilities.
The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Thursday evening. Authorities said an investigation was underway to establish what triggered the blaze while the vessel was undergoing maintenance.
Emergency management authorities, firefighters and rescue teams, police officers and medical personnel were mobilized immediately after the fire was reported. Rescue operations continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening as crews searched the ship for those who remained unaccounted for.
