Categories
'Significant casualties' after fire on cargo ship in eastern China
At least 20 dead after fire on cargo ship in eastern China, state media report
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
This video can not be played
Watch: Thick plumes of smoke rise from cargo ship fire in Qingdao, China
- Published10 September 2026, 10:45 BST
At least 20 people have been killed in a fire on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a port in eastern China, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Of the 42 people on board, 17 were evacuated of which five are in hospital in stable condition, CCTV says.
President Xi Jinping earlier called for "all out" search and rescue efforts while Premier Li Qiang called for those trapped to be rescued, stressing the need to "prevent secondary disasters".
The vessel was undergoing maintenance at a shipyard in the city of Qingdao when the blaze erupted at around 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT).
It was put out just over three hours later, according to CCTV.
China's Premier Li Qiang urged the rescue of people trapped on board the ship
An eyewitness told the AFP news agency there was thick smoke rising from the ship.
Photos released by state media showed the vessel to be the Ocean Melody, a 190m (623ft) long Liberia-flagged carrier which arrived in Qingdao on 31 August, according to tracking site MarineTraffic.
The fire comes nearly a month after an shipyard explosion in the south-eastern Chinese province of Fujian killed a rescue worker and injured 12 others.