At least 25 dead in cargo ship fire at China’s Qingdao port

Fire breaks out on ship being repaired in the port of Qingdao, eastern China.

A drone view shows ships and containers at the port in Qingdao, Shandong province, China October 20, 2025 [File:China Daily via Reuters]

At least 25 people have died after a foreign-flagged cargo ship caught fire while docked in a Chinese port, state media reported.

Of the 42 people on board, 12 were safely evacuated, while five were hospitalised with injuries and were in stable condition, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday.

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State news agency Xinhua said the fire broke out at about 11:15am (03:15 GMT) while the ship was docked for repairs at the Beihai Shipbuilding Company at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast.

It was unclear what had caused the fire or whether it had been extinguished.

A photo released by Xinhua identified the ship as the Ocean Melody, which sails under a Liberian flag, according to the public vessel-tracking website VesselFinder.

President Xi Jinping called for urgent search-and-rescue operations.

He “stressed the need to urgently search for missing persons … and strictly hold those responsible to account”, Xinhua reported.

Premier Li Qiang called for the search and rescue of “trapped” people, and for those injured to receive medical treatment.

He also urged authorities to “strictly prevent secondary disasters”.

Xi said “all regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from this incident, thoroughly investigate and rectify all types of fire hazards.”

在中国东部青岛港，一艘正在维修的船只发生火灾。

2025年10月20日，无人机拍摄的画面显示，中国山东省青岛港停泊着船舶和集装箱。[图片来源：中国日报，经路透社授权]

据官方媒体报道，一艘悬挂外国国旗的货船停靠在中国港口时起火，造成至少25人死亡。

据中央电视台周四报道，机上42人中，12人安全撤离，5人受伤住院，目前情况稳定。

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新华社报道称，火灾发生在上午 11 点 15 分左右（格林尼治标准时间 03:15），当时这艘船正在青岛港北海造船厂进行维修，青岛港是位于中国东北沿海的主要航运枢纽。

目前尚不清楚起火原因，也不清楚火势是否已被扑灭。

新华社发布的照片​​显示，这艘船是“海洋旋律”号，根据船舶追踪网站 VesselFinder 的信息，该船悬挂利比里亚国旗。

习近平主席呼吁立即展开搜救行动。

据新华社报道，他“强调需要紧急搜寻失踪人员……并严惩肇事者”。

李强总理呼吁搜救被困人员，并对伤者进行救治。

他还敦促有关部门“严防二次灾害”。

习近平表示，“各地有关部门必须从这次事件中汲取深刻教训，彻底查清和整治各类火灾隐患。”