QINGDAO, China: At least 25 people were killed when a fire broke out aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs at a shipyard in the Chinese city of Qingdao, state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday.
The fire erupted at around 11:15 a.m. local time while repair work was underway on the vessel, according to CCTV.
Forty-two people were aboard the ship when the fire broke out. Seventeen were safely evacuated, while five people taken to a hospital were in stable condition, state media reported.
Images released by Chinese state media identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody, a 190-meter-long Liberia-flagged cargo ship that arrived in Qingdao on Aug. 31.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control slightly more than three hours after it started. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A witness told AFP that thick smoke was rising from the ship but said they did not hear any explosion.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had earlier ordered a large-scale search-and-rescue operation following the incident.