At least 20 killed, five missing after cargo ship catches fire at Chinese port

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, 17:07:30 IST

Written by HT News Desk

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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.

At least 20 people died after a cargo ship reportedly caught fire in a Chinese port. (Representative Image (File Photo/Reuters))

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.

Also Read | Two Chinese survivors rescued days after cargo ship sinks near Odisha

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.

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 which 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).

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 “preventive measures are thoroughly implemented” and “resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents.”

(with inputs from agencies)

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