A cargo ship loaded with hazardous goods has exploded into a huge fireball at one of China‘s busiest ports.
Footage shared by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV shows a burst of white smoke followed by an orange and yellow fireball that flung debris high into the air.
The shockwave from the blast also caused the roof of a nearby company canteen to collapse.
The explosion happened on Friday at around 1.50pm local time at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, just south of Shanghai, on China’s Pacific coast.
No injuries have been reported but people in the area are being evacuated, port officials said.
Footage shared by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV shows a burst of white smoke followed by an orange and yellow fireball that flung debris high into the air
The explosion happened at around 1.50pm local time at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, just south of Shanghai, on China’s Pacific coast
Pictured: Debris flying through the air as a result of the powerful explosion at the port
The blast is believed to have been caused by an explosion in one of the containers on the Dong Ming ship that was docked at the port.
The cargo ship, which is owned by the Taiwanese container shipping company Yang Ming, was moored at the Beilun Port area, rescue officials said in a statement.
An aerial photo posted by the broadcaster showed black smoke rising from a stack of containers at one end of the ship and from an area on the dock.
The rest of the ship and its containers appear to be undamaged.
The Zhejiang Province Emergency Management Administration said the ship was loaded with Class 5 hazardous materials, but it didn’t say what they were.
The blast is believed to have been caused by an explosion in one of the containers on the Dong Ming ship that was docked at the port
Pictured: A container on the ship before the explosion occurred
The Zhejiang Province Emergency Management Administration said the ship was loaded with Class 5 hazardous materials, but it didn’t say what they were
These types of materials must be refigerated otherwise they may combust and let off harmful fumes.
The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is one of the largest in the world and is the busiest in terms of cargo tonnage.
The port is located on an important coastal shipping route and consists of several different ports – Beilun, Zhenhai, and old Ningbo harbor.