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THIS is the terrifying moment a cargo ship erupts into a massive fireball in a Chinese port.

The eerie footage is similar to the mega blast that rocked Beirut, in 2020.

A Taiwanese cargo ship exploded in to a massive fireball at a port in China
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A Taiwanese cargo ship exploded in to a massive fireball at a port in ChinaCredit: Reuters
Footage of the explosion shows the fireball, followed by thick black smoke rising from the cargo ship
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Footage of the explosion shows the fireball, followed by thick black smoke rising from the cargo shipCredit: X
Footage shows debris flung in to the air
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Footage shows debris flung in to the airCredit: Reuters
The powerful explosion hit a container ship at around 1:40 pm on Friday
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The powerful explosion hit a container ship at around 1:40 pm on FridayCredit: Reuters
Horrified locals filmed the explosion and shared it on Chinese social media site Weibo
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Horrified locals filmed the explosion and shared it on Chinese social media site WeiboCredit: X

Footage of the explosion shows the fireball, followed by thick black smoke rising from the cargo ship, as debris was flung into the air.

Horrified bystanders watched the explosion from afar.

According to local authorities, no casualties or injuries have been reported.

The powerful explosion hit a container ship at around 1:40 pm on Friday at the Beilun Port area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang Province of East China.

The explosion occurred on the bow of a container ship named YM Mobility, owned by Taiwanese-based company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation.

An investigation into the fireball is underway.

The clip shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo has been watched hundreds of times.

One person wrote: "I am 1.2 miles from the explosion site.

"I can tell you on behalf of the locals that there are no casualties so far."

Beirut explosion – Huge blast rips through Lebanese capital as mushroom clouds are seen over city

Another commented: "Fortunately, there were no casualties! I can't imagine if such a thing would happen while the ship was sailing!"

While a third added: "Fortunately, only the front part of the box was damaged."

It comes four years after a similar ship blast killed more than 170 people and injured 5,000 more in Beirut on August 4.

The massive explosion was a fifth of the size of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb and destroyed the port it was docked in.

The blast tore the clothes from people’s bodies, ripped balconies from flats and hurled cars through the air as if they were toys.

The disaster was sparked when a welder ignited 2,750 tons of explosive chemicals in the port area, it’s reported.

The worker was trying to seal a hole to prevent theft from a warehouse, according to Lebanese TV station LBCI.

Read More on The US Sun

The resulting explosion hitting with the force of a 3.5-magnitude earthquake was the biggest ever seen in Beirut, a city blasted by a 1975-1990 civil war, bombarded in conflicts with Israel and hit by periodic terror attacks.

As many as 300,000 people were left homeless following the explosion which is estimated to have caused more than $3 billion worth of damage.

No casualties or injuries have been reported
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No casualties or injuries have been reportedCredit: Reuters
Only the front part of the ship was damaged
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Only the front part of the ship was damagedCredit: X
An investigation into the blast is underway
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An investigation into the blast is underwayCredit: X
The mammoth explosion erupted in the port in Beirut
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The mammoth explosion erupted in the port in Beirut
Witnesses described the Beirut explosion as deafening and said it felt like an earthquake
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Witnesses described the Beirut explosion as deafening and said it felt like an earthquake
This image shows the true scale of the devastation of the Beirut explosion
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This image shows the true scale of the devastation of the Beirut explosion
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