At least 20 dead after fire on cargo ship in eastern China, state media report

At least 20 dead after fire on cargo ship in eastern China, state media report

Large boat undergoing maintenanceImage source, Xinhua
Image caption,

China's Premier Li Qiang urged the rescue of people trapped on board the ship

ByPhelan Chatterjee
  • Published
    10 September 2026, 10:45 BST
Updated 33 minutes ago

At least 20 people have been killed in a fire on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a port in eastern China, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Of the 42 people on board, 12 were evacuated and five are in hospital in stable condition, CCTV says.

President Xi Jinping earlier called for "all out" search and rescue efforts while Premier Li Qiang called for those trapped to be rescued, stressing the need to "prevent secondary disasters".

The vessel was undergoing maintenance at a shipyard in the city of Qingdao when the blaze erupted at around 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT).

It was put out just over three hours later, according to CCTV.

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