A fire broke out on Thursday morning aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao, causing heavy casualties, state broadcaster CCTV reported.The blaze started at around 11.15am at the state-owned Qingdao Beihai shipyard, the report said. It did not say how many had been killed or injured.President Xi Jinping has given orders to step up search and rescue efforts, according to CCTV, a rare instance of instructions from the top leadership accompanying an accident report. Xi also called for a swift investigation into the cause of the fire and to ensure prompt follow-up and victim support, the report said.All regions and relevant departments must “draw profound lessons from the blaze”, tighten preventive measures and “resolutely curb major accidents to safeguard lives and property”, he was quoted as saying.The blaze started just after 11am at the Qingdao Beihai shipyard in Qingdao, Shandong province. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty ImagesA photo released by state news agency Xinhua suggests the ship is the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Ocean Melody. According to the MarineTraffic website, the vessel is moored in Qingdao.
Developing | ‘Heavy casualties’ after foreign-flagged ship catches fire in China’s Qingdao
The vessel was docked for repairs, CCTV report says, as President Xi Jinping calls for all-out search and rescue efforts.
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