At least 25 people have died after a huge fire broke out on a cargo ship docked at a shipyard in Qingdao, a major port city on China's eastern coast. The bulk carrier, named the Ocean Melody and sailing under a Liberian flag, had 42 people on board when the blaze started while it was undergoing repairs, prompting a large emergency response and intervention from senior Chinese leaders. The incident is one of several deadly industrial accidents to have hit China over the past year, raising fresh questions about workplace safety standards.

The fire began at around 11.15am on Thursday and was extinguished by emergency crews roughly three hours later, at 2.30pm. Seventeen people were rescued, including five taken to hospital who are said to be in a stable condition; the cause of the fire has not yet been established. The ship had been at the state-owned Beihai Shipbuilding Company since 31 August, and President Xi Jinping ordered urgent rescue efforts, while Premier Li Qiang called for trapped crew members to be saved. The disaster follows other major accidents in China this year, including a fireworks factory explosion that killed 37 people in May and a shoe factory fire in Fujian that killed at least 28 in July.