The death toll from a fire aboard a bulk carrier at a shipyard in China’s eastern port city of Qingdao has risen to 25, state media reported.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, 42 people were aboard the vessel when the fire broke out. Seventeen people were evacuated, including five who sustained injuries.
By Thursday evening, however, all 25 people who had been reported missing were found dead, CCTV said. Authorities also reported that the open flames had been extinguished at around 2:30pm local time.
State news agency Xinhua said the fire broke out at around 11:15am while the vessel was docked for maintenance. The cause of the blaze has not yet been disclosed.
A resident of a nearby residential compound told AFP that he noticed thick smoke rising from the ship but did not see an explosion or smell anything unusual.
Footage released by Xinhua showed a large vessel named Ocean Melody docked at a shipyard, with rescue workers on its decks and entering the ship. Several fire engines and ambulances were also seen stationed nearby.
According to vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic, Ocean Melody is a 190-metre bulk carrier sailing under the Liberian flag and was moored in Qingdao when the incident occurred.
Qingdao is a major international maritime hub and is connected to more than 700 ports across over 180 countries and regions, according to Chinese state media.
The shipyard where the incident occurred is operated by Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for those responsible to be held accountable and urged authorities to draw lessons from the incident, Xinhua reported.
Xi directed relevant authorities to conduct thorough investigations and address fire safety hazards across the country.
The incident comes amid a series of serious industrial accidents in China, raising renewed concerns about workplace safety and enforcement of regulations.
An explosion and subsequent fire at a shipyard in Fujian province in August killed one firefighter and injured 12 others, according to state media.
China also launched a campaign to address fire hazards in high-rise buildings after a major blaze engulfed residential towers in Hong Kong in November, killing 168 people.
In May, an explosion at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people, one of the country’s deadliest industrial accidents in recent years.
A separate fire at a shoe factory in Fujian province in July killed at least 28 people.
