Fire at shipyard in China: Many casualties

A fire broke out on a cargo ship being maintained at a shipyard in Qingdao, one of China's important port cities, causing many casualties.

According to Chinese state media, the fire started at 11.15 local time on the ship Ocean Melody, which was undergoing maintenance and repair work at the shipyard owned by Beihai Shipbuilding company.

It was reported that a total of 42 people were on the Liberian flagged cargo ship at the time of the fire.

Authorities announced that at least 20 people lost their lives and 5 people are still missing. It was stated that 12 people on the ship were evacuated safely.

It was reported that search and rescue teams continue their efforts to reach the missing people.

SEARCH AND RESCUE INSTRUCTIONS FROM Xi Jinping

Following the incident, Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed the authorities to speed up search and rescue efforts.

Xi stated that all means should be used to reach the missing people and wanted the cause of the fire to be revealed as soon as possible.

Following the incident, a call was made to review security measures in shipyards and similar work areas.

PRIME MINISTER LI: THOSE TRAPPED SHOULD BE RESCUE

Chinese Premier Li Qiang also made a statement regarding the rescue efforts.

While Li wanted the work to be accelerated to rescue the people trapped on the ship, he emphasized that the necessary precautions should be taken to prevent new accidents during the intervention.

Premier Li specifically asked the teams to act carefully to prevent "secondary disasters".

It was reported that the Ocean Melody, where the fire broke out, was not on a voyage at the time of the incident and was undergoing maintenance and repair work at the shipyard in Qingdao.

According to ship tracking data, the cargo ship, built in 2006, is approximately 189 meters long and operates under the Liberian flag.

An official statement has not yet been made regarding the cause of the fire.

While Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, rescue teams continue to search for missing persons.