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At least 20 people have been killed in a fire aboard a foreign cargo vessel undergoing repairs at a state-owned shipyard in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on Thursday, state media reported, with five others still missing.
The fire broke out at about 11:15 a.m. local time at the Qingdao Beihai shipyard during repair and inspection works, state-run Xinhua said. Of the 42 people onboard, 12 were evacuated safely and five were injured and hospitalized.
The blaze was extinguished by early afternoon, state media said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for intensified search and rescue efforts, a swift investigation and accountability measures, according to Xinhua.
A picture of the scene released by Xinhua showed the vessel involved to be the Ocean Melody. LSEG ship-tracking data identified it as a 20-year-old Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier managed by Yuyangkunpeng Shanghai Shp Mgm, with Huili Shipping Co Ltd listed as its registered owner.
The vessel arrived at the Qingdao shipyard on Aug. 31 and has remained there since, LSEG data showed.
The shipyard is controlled by state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), one of the world’s largest shipbuilders.
CSSC describes itself as China’s principal naval shipbuilder and the country’s largest designer and builder of ships and offshore equipment.
