25 people killed in fire on cargo ship docked in China, state media reports
A cargo ship docked for repairs in China caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday.
The ship was docked for repairs at the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast.
A photo released by Xinhua news agency identified the ship as the Ocean Melody, which sails under a Liberian flag, according to the tracking website VesselFinder.
A total of 42 people had been on the vessel, and 12 of them were safely evacuated, Xinhua reported. Five were injured and taken to a hospital, and they remained in stable condition.
The fire started around 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time. Videos online showed workers on the ship attempting to put out the fire.
A witness from a neighboring residential compound told French news agency AFP he saw thick smoke coming from the ship, but did not hear an explosion.
"I saw the smoke from the ship by chance, but there was no visible fire," he said.
"I didn't hear an explosion or smell anything," he said.
China's President Xi Jinping issued "important instructions" to urgently conduct rescues of missing people from the ship, Xinhua said, adding that Premier Li Qiang called for "trapped" people to be rescued.
Xi also called for ensuring "preventive measures are thoroughly implemented" and "resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents."
Beihai Shipbuilding is part of the state-controlled China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world's largest shipbuilder. Its main businesses include shipbuilding and ship repairing, according to Beihai Shipbuilding's website.
There have been several major industrial accidents in China over the past year, where safety regulations are often lax.
An explosion and ensuing fire at a shipyard in eastern Fujian province in August killed one fire and rescue worker and injured 12 others, according to state media.
China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings in November after a huge blaze engulfed several residential tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing 168 people.
A blast at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people in May, marking one of the nation's deadliest industrial accidents in years.
And a fire in a shoe factory in Fujian in July killed at least 28 people.
