QINGDAO, China — At least 20 people have died and five remain missing after a fire broke out aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs at a shipyard in Qingdao, eastern China, according to Chinese state media.
BREAKING: Fire on cargo ship in China kills 20 people, state media reports https://t.co/7bc7c5MzSH pic.twitter.com/CW8vKHPIro
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 10, 2026
The vessel was identified by China’s Xinhua news agency as the Ocean Melody, a Liberia-flagged cargo ship. It was undergoing maintenance at Beihai Shipbuilding Co. when the fire erupted on Thursday, September 10.
A total of 42 people were aboard the vessel when the incident occurred, according to state media reports. Twelve people were safely evacuated, while five others were injured and taken to hospital. The five hospitalized survivors were reported to be in stable condition.
Five people remained missing as rescue teams continued searching the vessel and surrounding area. Authorities had not publicly identified those killed, injured or missing at the time of publication.
Fire erupted while Ocean Melody was undergoing maintenance
According to CCTV, the fire started at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time (03:15 GMT) while the Ocean Melody was undergoing maintenance at the Qingdao shipyard.
Emergency crews spent more than three hours battling the blaze. Chinese state media reported that the fire had been extinguished by around 2:30 p.m. local time.
Images released by Xinhua showed the large vessel at the shipyard during the emergency. Videos circulating online also appeared to show workers attempting to fight the fire aboard the ship as the incident unfolded.
The precise cause of the blaze has not yet been publicly determined. Officials have not confirmed whether the fire was connected to the maintenance work being carried out at the time, and an investigation is expected to examine where and how the blaze began.
There has also been no official confirmation of speculation about welding work, an explosion or a particular piece of equipment causing the fire. Until investigators release their findings, the origin of the blaze remains unclear.
The incident comes just days after another deadly cargo-related transport disaster, when an Amazon cargo jet crash in Miami killed five people who were inside a plane-cleaning crew van.
The Qingdao disaster differs significantly because the Ocean Melody was not reported to be sailing when the fire started. Instead, the vessel was docked and undergoing repairs, putting attention on what happened aboard the ship during the maintenance operation.
The Associated Press, citing Xinhua, reported that the vessel sails under the Liberian flag. Liberia operates one of the world’s major international ship registries, meaning a Liberian flag does not necessarily indicate that the vessel’s crew members were Liberian nationals.
Xi Jinping orders ‘all-out’ rescue operation
The scale of the casualties prompted a response from China’s top leadership. President Xi Jinping issued instructions calling for urgent efforts to find the missing and for an “all-out” search and rescue operation.
Premier Li Qiang separately called for people trapped aboard the vessel to be rescued and stressed the importance of preventing what authorities described as “secondary disasters” during the emergency response.
Xi also called for preventive measures to be fully implemented and urged authorities to take steps to prevent major and catastrophic accidents.
The continuing search is particularly significant because the reported numbers account for all 42 people said to have been aboard: 20 confirmed dead, five missing, five hospitalized and 12 safely evacuated.
The Ocean Melody was being repaired at Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in Qingdao. Beihai Shipbuilding is part of the state-controlled China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups.
The shipyard’s operations include both construction and repair of vessels, making it an important part of Qingdao’s maritime industry. Qingdao itself is a major shipping and industrial centre on China’s eastern coast.
Thursday’s emergency also highlights the additional risks faced during ship repair operations, when workers may be spread across machinery spaces, decks and enclosed areas rather than operating under normal sailing conditions. Authorities have not yet disclosed where aboard the Ocean Melody most of the casualties occurred.
Investigators are expected to focus on the origin of the fire, the maintenance work underway at the time and how quickly those aboard were able to evacuate.
The tragedy follows several major transport emergencies internationally. In another recent case, investigators recovered crucial evidence following the Miami Amazon cargo plane crash as authorities began examining the aircraft’s black boxes.
Chinese authorities had not announced the nationalities of the victims or released a detailed list of the crew and workers aboard the Ocean Melody at the time of the latest reports.
The death toll should still be treated as provisional because five people remain missing. Any change in their status could alter the casualty figures.
Further updates are also expected on the cause of the fire, the identities of those killed and missing, and the investigation into safety conditions aboard the vessel while it was undergoing maintenance.
This is a developing story and will be updated as Chinese authorities release additional information.
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