Shipyard Fire Kills 25 Aboard Bulk Carrier in China

BEIJING, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Twenty-five people died 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.

The fire broke out at about 11:15 a.m. (0315 GMT) 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.

A picture of the scene released by Xinhua showed the vessel involved to be the Ocean Melody.