Daijiworld Media Network - Qingdao
Qingdao, Sep 10: At least 20 people were killed and five others remained missing after a fire broke out on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a port in Qingdao, China, on Thursday, state media reported.
The bulk carrier had 42 people on board when the fire erupted at the Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding yard in Shandong province. Seventeen people were evacuated, including five who suffered injuries, while 20 others were found with "no signs of life", state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The open flames were extinguished at around 2.30 pm local time, CCTV said. State news agency Xinhua reported that the fire broke out at around 11.15 am while the vessel was docked for maintenance.
Xinhua said the foreign cargo ship of Beihai Shipbuilding Co Ltd caught fire during its port call for maintenance, causing heavy casualties. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for urgent search and rescue operations and stressed the need to strictly hold those responsible to account.
A witness from a neighbouring residential compound told AFP that he saw thick smoke coming from the vessel but did not hear an explosion or notice any unusual smell.
Xinhua released a photograph showing a large ship named Ocean Melody docked at the shipyard, with several fire trucks stationed nearby.
According to vessel tracking website MarineTraffic, the Ocean Melody is a 190-metre-long bulk carrier sailing under the Liberian flag and was moored in Qingdao when the incident occurred.
Qingdao is a major international maritime hub connected to more than 700 ports across more than 180 countries and regions. The Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding yard operates as a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
Xi directed authorities to draw lessons from the incident and conduct a thorough investigation and rectification of fire hazards.
The incident comes amid several major industrial accidents in China in recent months. In August, an explosion and subsequent fire at a shipyard in Fujian province killed one fire and rescue worker and injured 12 others, according to state media.
In May, a blast at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people, while a fire at a shoe factory in eastern Fujian province in July killed at least 28 people.