Beijing: Twenty-five people were killed after a cargo ship caught fire while docked in a Chinese port, Chinese state media reported Thursday.The ship was docked for repairs in the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast.Read more: China building massive naval ship that could displace US rival as world's biggest? Here's what we know so farA 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 the hospital, and they remained in a stable condition.Read more: In December 2025, China ran seven 5,000-ton coal trains across Inner Mongolia as a formation heavier than three Eiffel Towers combined, without physically connecting them; engineers believe it could boost rail capacity by over 50% without new tracksThe fire started around 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time.China's President Xi Jinping issued "important instructions" to urgently conduct rescues of missing people on the ship, Xinhua said, adding that Premier Li Qiang called for "trapped" people to be rescued.
25 dead after cargo ship catches fire in China's port, state media says
Twenty-five people died after a cargo ship caught fire while docked for repairs. The Ocean Melody vessel, sailing under a Liberian flag, experienced the blaze at Qingdao port. Forty-two individuals were aboard the ship, and twelve were safely evacuated from the incident. Five injured individuals were taken to the hospital and remain in stable condition. Chinese leaders issued instructions for urgent rescue operations for missing persons.










