At least 25 people have been killed after a fire broke out on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a shipyard in eastern China.
The blaze erupted at around 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT) while the vessel, identified as the 190-metre Liberia-flagged carrier Ocean Melody, was undergoing maintenance in the port city of Qingdao. Of the 42 people on board, 17 were successfully evacuated. Five of the survivors remain in the hospital in stable condition, while fire crews managed to extinguish the flames just over three hours after the alarm was raised.
The incident prompted an immediate and high-level response from China’s leadership. President Xi Jinping called for “all-out” search and rescue efforts, while Premier Li Qiang urged authorities to prioritize rescuing anyone still trapped and stressed the critical need to “prevent secondary disasters.”
SEE ALSO: Five Dead and 5 Injured After Plane Crashed at Miami Airport
Photos released by state media showed the massive scale of the vessel, which had arrived in Qingdao just days prior on August 31, according to maritime tracking data. Fires on ships undergoing maintenance are particularly dangerous due to the presence of flammable materials, welding work, and confined spaces that can quickly trap crew members and dockworkers.
For now, the smoke has cleared, and the immediate emergency has passed, but the investigation into the exact cause of the blaze is just beginning. For the families of the 25 workers who lost their lives, the focus remains on a sudden and devastating loss in a place that was supposed to be just another day at work.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
