Fire on cargo ship docked in Chinese port kills 20 and some people are missing, state media say

September 10, 2026 / 7:33 AM EDT

/ CBS/AP

Add CBS News on Google

Beijing — At least 20 people were killed and five were missing after a cargo ship caught fire while docked in a Chinese port, Chinese state media reported Thursday.The ship was docked for repairs by 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 remained in stable condition. The fire started around 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time.

A work scene at the Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. ship repair site in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, on June 30, 2026.

Fire on cargo ship docked in Chinese port kills 20 and some people are missing, state media say

Other newsrooms on this story

Related reading

At least 20 dead and 5 missing after cargo ship catches fire in China’s port,…

At least 20 dead and 5 missing after cargo ship catches fire in China's port,…

Fire on cargo ship in China kills 20 people: state media

At least 20 killed, five missing after cargo ship catches fire at Chinese port

China: Cargo ship fire kills at least 25

At least 20 dead, five missing as cargo ship catches fire at Qingdao port