Fire on Cargo Ship at Qingdao Shipyard Kills 25

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A fire broke out on a cargo ship docked for repairs in Qingdao, China, killing 25 crew members. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a thorough investigation into the cause and strict punishment for those responsible, but the exact cause of the fire has not yet been revealed.

Reporting from Beijing, this is Han Sang-woo.

[Reporter]

White smoke continuously billows from a cargo ship docked at a shipyard.

Soon, thick white smoke covers the entire sea around the shipyard, and the flames begin to spread across the entire cargo ship.

At around 11:15 a.m. yesterday (the 10th) local time, a fire broke out on a cargo ship docked for repairs at a shipyard in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.

At the time, 42 crew members were on board the cargo ship. While 12 managed to evacuate, 25 of the crew members who failed to escape died and 5 were injured.

Immediately after the fire, Chinese firefighters and rescue personnel were deployed, but rescue efforts reportedly faced difficulties due to the rapid spread of smoke and the narrow passageways inside the cargo ship.

The fire was extinguished after three hours, having burned most of the interior of the cargo ship.

Chinese fire authorities have not yet disclosed the nationality of the cargo ship or specific details of the damage, but according to foreign media reports such as the AP, it is known to be a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.

The exact cause of the fire has also not yet been determined.

Just a month ago in China, on August 13th of last month, a fire and explosion accident occurred at a shipyard in Fujian Province, injuring 12 people and killing one.

With shipyard fires occurring back-to-back within a span of a month, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident, punishing those responsible, and drawing up measures to prevent recurrence.

He also dispatched personnel from the Ministry of Emergency Management to conduct on-site inspections and order a thorough investigation into the cause.

(Video Editing: Park Choon-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.