QINGDAO - One crew member has been confirmed dead, while another 15 rescued crew members have arrived in Qingdao in East China's Shandong province, local marine authorities said Tuesday.

The Hua Shan, a Panama-registered freighter, caught fire off the coast of East China on Sunday evening. The Qingdao fire department put the fire out by 5 pm Monday.

The freighter was carrying 4,000 tonnes of coal to the Port of Rizhao in Shandong province, and 16 crew members from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) were on board the vessel at the time of the accident.

The body of the deceased crew member was found on the freighter, according to the fire department of Qingdao Port.

The surviving crew members refused interviews with a Xinhua reporter.