A cargo ship fire broke out at Qingdao Port in China. Officials took several hours to extinguish the blaze. So far, 25 people have died and many others were injured.
China's state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday, 10 Sep 2026, that a fire broke out on the Liberian-flagged cargo ship Ocean Melody at Qingdao Port in eastern China, resulting in 25 fatalities. The cause of the fire remains unclear.
CCTV stated that 42 people were on board at the time of the fire. Besides the deceased, 17 others were rescued; among them, 5 are hospitalized and in stable condition.
The ship arrived in Qingdao on 31 Aug and was undergoing maintenance at the shipyard when the fire broke out at 11:15 a.m. local time on Thursday. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames about three hours later.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. A witness told AFP news agency they saw thick smoke rising from the ship but did not hear any explosion beforehand.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered full mobilization for search and rescue efforts. Meanwhile, Premier Li Qiang emphasized the need to “prevent secondary disasters.”
This fire occurred nearly a month after an explosion at a shipyard in Fujian Province in southeastern China, which killed one rescue worker and injured 12 others.
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Source:bbc