(Beijing) A “powerful explosion” ripped through a container ship in a port in eastern China on Friday, where emergency services were dispatched to put out the fire, state media reported.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, despite footage showing a ball of flames engulfing much of the ship’s deck and spraying debris around it.
The explosion occurred around 1:40 p.m. (1:40 a.m. Eastern Time) on the bow of the YM Mobility, which was docked at the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, the official Xinhua news agency reported. “An investigation is underway” to determine the cause, the statement said.
Another video showed fire trucks spraying water on the charred ship as black smoke rose into the sky.
State broadcaster CCTV said the fire was extinguished by 5 p.m. and the local coast guard had been mobilized to respond.
“After a check, all the stevedores and personnel on the ship are safe and there are no casualties,” CCTV reported. The vast Ningbo-Zhoushan port is one of the busiest in the world due to its throughput of goods. Industrial accidents are common in China due to poor safety training and lax protocols.