You are viewing content from Gaydio London. Would you like to make this your preferred location?

At least 20 people killed after fire breaks out on cargo ship in Chinese port

At least 20 people have been killed and five are missing after a cargo ship caught fire while docked in a Chinese port, state media has said.

A total of 42 people had been on the Ocean Melody, which was undergoing repairs in the city of Qingdao - a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast, the Xinhua news agency said.

Twelve on board were safely rescued, with five others in a stable condition in hospital, the news agency added.

The fire started at around 11am local time on Thursday and was extinguished by 2.30pm.

The vessel - which sails under a Liberian flag - initially arrived at the shipyard on August 31 and has remained there since.

China's president Xi Jinping issued "important instructions" to urgently conduct rescue operations for the missing people.

Read more from Sky News:
Joint hottest August on record
AI crackdown demanded

He also called for a swift investigation and accountability measures.

The shipyard is operated by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), ​one of the world's largest shipbuilders.

The corporation describes itself as China's main naval shipbuilder and the country's biggest builder of offshore equipment.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: At least 20 people killed after fire breaks out on cargo ship in Chinese port

More from HEADLINES

More from Gaydio

-->