25 dead as fire engulfs cargo ship at China shipyard

A fire at a Chinese shipyard claimed the lives of 25 people and injured five others when it engulfed a cargo ship under repair on Thursday. The blaze occurred at the Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co. yard, operated by China State Shipbuilding Corp., and was brought under control approximately two and a half hours later. The vessel, a Liberian-flagged dry bulk carrier named Ocean Melody, had 42 crew members on board at the time of the incident. The ship had arrived at the Qingdao port on August 31 for repairs and inspections.

Twelve individuals managed to evacuate the burning ship safely, while five others were hospitalized in stable condition. The remaining 25 missing crew members were later discovered dead, raising the total death toll to 25. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and an investigation into the incident is currently underway. Emergency services, including fire and rescue, police, and medical teams, responded to the scene immediately after the fire was reported and conducted rescue operations throughout the day.