At least 20 dead after a foreign cargo ship catches fire in eastern China

A foreign-flagged cargo ship caught fire this Thursday morning at the port of Qingdao, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, leaving at least 20 dead and five people missing, official media reported.

The incident, which occurred around 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT), took place at the Beihai Shipbuilding company facilities while the vessel was docked for repair work, according to the state agency Xinhua.

The authorities did not specify which country the affected vessel belongs to, but for the moment they have reported that there were a total of 42 people on board the vessel: twelve of them were safely evacuated and five injured people were taken to the hospital, where they are in stable condition.

Xi orders intensification of the search

The fire was extinguished around 14:30 (06:30 GMT) and by 17:30 (09:30 GMT), rescue teams had located twenty of the 25 people initially reported missing, all of them showing no signs of life.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered intensified search and rescue efforts for the missing, while calling for a swift investigation into the cause of the fire and ensuring follow-up and care for the victims without delay, according to state media.

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“All regions and competent departments must draw deep lessons from the fire, strengthen preventive measures, and firmly curb serious accidents to safeguard lives and property,” Xi stated.

No information on which country the vessel belongs to

The authorities have not specified at the moment which country the affected vessel belongs to.

The prime minister of the Asian giant, Li Qiang, in turn gave instructions in which he called for intensifying search and rescue efforts for those trapped, dedicating “all efforts” to treating the injured and preventing secondary disasters.

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Li also asked his cabinet to take this event as a warning about the need to strengthen risk inspections and tighten safety responsibilities.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has already sent a working group to the scene to direct the operation, while the province of Shandong has also mobilized personnel for the necessary actions at the site of the incident.