At least 20 killed & five missing as cargo ship goes up in flames while docked in port in China

AT least 20 people have been killed after a massive blaze ripped through a cargo ship while docked in a China port, state media reported. Five more are missing from the stricken vessel, which had been undergoing repairs in the eastern shipping hub of Qingdao when it went up in flames. A major fire on a ship docked in a Chinese port has killed at least 20 The port in Qingdao is a major shipping hub Credit: Avalon.red The blaze broke out at around 11am, while 42 people were on board. Of those, 17 have been evacuated including five who were injured. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Fire crews battled the flames for more than three hours, finally extinguishing the fire at 2.30pm. “A foreign cargo ship of Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, Shandong Province, caught fire during its port call for maintenance, causing heavy casualties,” said state news agency Xinhua. Xi Jinping issued “important instructions” to urgently conduct rescues for the missing people. He also demanded a swift investigation to identify the cause of the blast and hold those responsible to account. Premier Li Qiang reportedly called for the rescue of “trapped” people and urged authorities to ensure those injured received treatment. He also called on officials to “strictly prevent a secondary disaster”. Most read in The Sun Five people remain missing after the foreign cargo ship caught fire Credit: Xinhua News Thick plumes of smoke can be seen rising from the blast site Credit: X The vessel – which sails under a Liberian flag – arrived at the shipyard on August 31, and has remained there since. Images from the scene show the 623ft bulk carrier docked at the yard, surrounded by fire trucks. A witness from a neighbouring residential area reported seeing thick smoke coming from the ship. But he said there was “no visible fire” and he did not hear an explosion. The Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding yard is operated by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. It describes itself as China’s main naval shipbuilder and the country’s biggest builder of offshore equipment. Xi said that “all regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from this incident, thoroughly investigate and rectify all types of fire hazards”. There have been several major industrial accidents in China over the last year, where safety regulations are often lax. It comes after an explosion at a shipyard in Fujian province killed one fire and rescue worker and injured 12 others in August, according to state media. In May a huge blast at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people, marking one of the nation’s deadliest industrial accidents in years. And a fire in a shoe factory in eastern Fujian province in July killed at least 28 people. Comment now