Photo: Xinhua

Twenty-five people died after a foreign cargo ship caught fire while undergoing repairs at China State Shipbuilding Corporation Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, CCTV News reported on Thursday. 

The fire broke out at around 11:15 am on Thursday while the cargo ship was undergoing maintenance at the shipyard. There were 42 people on board at the time. Twelve were safely evacuated, while five others were injured and taken to hospital. Their vital signs are currently stable. Another 25 people were initially reported missing, the report said.

The open flames were extinguished at around 2:30 pm. As of 7:24 pm, all 25 people who had been reported missing had been found, and all showed no signs of life, according to CCTV News.

Following the accident, authorities in Shandong Province and Qingdao city immediately activated an emergency response mechanism. Emergency management, fire and rescue, public security, health and industrial authorities were mobilized to carry out rescue operations.

According to coverage from CCTV News on Thursday night at around 7:43 pm, rescuers said they need to enter the cargo ship's lower hold through narrow hatches, where heavy smoke and high temperatures have posed challenges to the rescue operation. The stairs inside the hold are also very slippery, making it more difficult to move trapped people. Rescue operations are still underway.

A firefighter said the main difficulties facing rescuers were heavy smoke, high temperatures and extremely slippery stairs. Moving trapped people was also difficult, he said, as some were found in narrow gaps and areas filled with water, according to a video by CCTV News.

According to the firefighter, four rescue teams, involving more than 20 firefighters, were working at the time the video was filmed. The vessel has three levels below deck, but also contains split-level sections, making its internal structure highly complex, with equipment including engines and water circulation systems. He said rescuers generally rotated immediately after bringing one person out, with each team working for around half an hour at a time because of the intense heat below deck.

Global Times