A fire on the Liberia-flagged cargo ship Ocean Melody killed 25 people while docked at a Chinese port.

A fire broke out on the Ocean Melody, a 190-meter-long cargo ship sailing under the Liberian flag, while it was undergoing maintenance at the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in the port of Qingdao. The blaze, which began around 11:15 a.m. local time, resulted in the deaths of 25 people. Out of the 42 people on board, 17 were evacuated, with five of those individuals remaining in stable condition in the hospital. The fire was extinguished approximately three hours after it started. President Xi Jinping issued instructions to conduct urgent search and rescue efforts for the missing people. Premier Li Qiang emphasized the need to rescue those trapped on the vessel and to prevent secondary disasters. The ship arrived at the port on August 31 and was being repaired by the state-controlled China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Sources

• BBC
  Twenty-five dead after fire erupts on cargo ship in Qingdao, eastern China - state media

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Paywall and unreadable sources

• The New York Times
  Cargo Ship Fire in Eastern China Kills 25
• AP News
  25 dead after cargo ship catches fire in China’s port, state media says
• reuters.com
  Cargo vessel fire at east China shipyard kills 25
• People.com
  At Least 20 Dead and 5 Missing After Cargo Ship Catches Fire While Being Docked for Repairs