Ten killed by carbon dioxide leak on Chinese cargo ship
- Ship’s third officer detained over accident that took place during repair work at dock in Shandong province
- Nineteen people needed hospital treatment after leak from fire extinguishing system
Ten people were killed and 19 injured after a carbon dioxide leak on a cargo ship that was being repaired at a dock in eastern China.
The incident happened around 4pm on Saturday at the Longyan port in Weihai, a coastal city in Shandong province.
Ten people were found dead at the scene, according to a notice released by the Weihai local government on Sunday morning. Another 19 were sent to a local hospital and are in stable condition.
The identities of the dead and injured have not been released.
“There was a carbon dioxide leak in the fire extinguishing system on the ship,” the notice said, adding that the third officer of the ship was suspected of being responsible.
“The police have already detained the relevant person and are still investigating the incident. We will hold the responsible party accountable according to the law,” the notice added.
An emergency team has been set up by the local government to investigate.