BEIJING: The death toll from a fire that erupted on Thursday on a foreign cargo ship docked in a Chinese port has risen to 25, including five people who had been listed as missing, state media said.
The bulk carrier, moored in the eastern shipping hub of Qingdao, had 42 people on board when the fire broke out, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Seventeen of those were evacuated, including five who were injured.
However, by Thursday evening “all 25 missing persons had been found, none showing signs of life”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
It said “the open flames were extinguished” by about 2:30 pm (0630 GMT).
State news agency Xinhua said earlier that the fire broke out at around 11:15 am during the ship’s port call for maintenance.
The death toll from the foreign cargo ship which caught fire at a shipyard in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, has risen to 25, local authorities said Thursday evening https://t.co/mWlKPaYcWP pic.twitter.com/QAITDOlCgA
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 10, 2026
The Xinhua state news agency shared video of the scene showing a large ship called the Ocean Melody docked at a yard, with dozens of rescuers swarming its decks and entering the vessel.
Several fire trucks and ambulances were stationed on the dock in front of the ship.
The death toll from the foreign cargo ship which caught fire at a shipyard in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, has risen to 25, local authorities said Thursday evening. pic.twitter.com/aZb40JOJLu
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 10, 2026
Ocean Melody is a 190-metre (623-foot) long bulk carrier sailing under the Liberian flag, according to the vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic, which located the ship as moored in Qingdao.
Qingdao is a major international maritime hub, connected to more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions, according to state media.
President Xi Jinping “stressed the need to… strictly hold those responsible to account”, Xinhua reported.
Xi said that “all regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from this incident, thoroughly investigate and rectify all types of fire hazards”.
