25 people killed in fire on cargo ship docked in China, state media reports

Updated on: September 10, 2026 / 10:10 AM EDT / CBS/AP

A cargo ship docked for repairs in China caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday.

The ship was docked for repairs at 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 they remained in stable condition.

The fire started around 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time. Videos online showed workers on the ship attempting to put out the fire.

A witness from a neighboring residential compound told French news agency AFP he saw thick smoke coming from the ship, but did not hear an explosion.

"I saw the smoke from the ship by chance, but there was no visible fire," he said.

"I didn't hear an explosion or smell anything," he said.

China's President Xi Jinping issued "important…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/