At least 20 people were killed in a fire on a foreign cargo vessel at a state-owned shipyard in China. The incident occurred at around 11 am on Thursday.

Updated on: Sep 10, 2026, 17:16:59 IST

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At least 20 people have died, while five remain missing after a cargo ship caught fire while docked in a Chinese port on Thursday, state media reported.

The incident occurred aboard a foreign cargo vessel undergoing maintenance work at a shipyard in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, Xinhua news agency reported.

What happened?

The fire broke out at around 11 am on Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 pm (local time).

A total of 42 people were aboard, and 12 of them were safely evacuated. Five were injured and taken to the hospital, and they were in stable condition, AP reported, citing Xinhua.

A witness told AFP he saw thick smoke coming from the ship.

"I saw the smoke from the ship by chance, but there was no visible fire," he stated.

"I didn't hear an explosion or smell anything," the witness added.

Ship identified as ‘Ocean Melody’

A photo reportedly released by Xinhua identified the ship as the ‘Ocean Melody’.

LSEG ship-tracking data identified it as a Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier that was 20 years old, Reuters reported.

According to the data cited in the report, the ship had reached the Qingdao shipyard on August 31 and has remained there since.

The shipyard is controlled by state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

Notably, ‘Ocean Melody’ is a 623-foot-long bulk carrier, according to the vessel tracking website MarineTraffic.

Chinese President Xi issues instructions

Following the tragic incident, China’s President Xi Jinping issued “important instructions” to conduct a rescue of missing people on the ship, Xinhua added.

The President also called for ensuring that “preventive measures are thoroughly implemented” and “resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents.”

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