Dozens of people died on the night of Tuesday September 12 to Wednesday September 13 during a fire in an apartment building in the capital, Hanoi. This uncontrolled fire could be one of the deadliest fires that Vietnam has seen in recent years. The country has been shaken by several deadly fires in recent years and is regularly caught up in controversies surrounding non-compliance with basic safety rules.
Some “54 people were taken to hospitals,” according to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Vietnam’s official news agency, citing an initial assessment from local authorities. “It’s a very serious fire,” VNA said. The agency added that rescue teams managed to rescue 70 people trapped in the burning building.
At least three children are among the dead victims, assured the Viettimes information site, another official media outlet. The search operation continues Wednesday morning, while the fire is no longer active.
“No escape route”
The fire broke out in the parking lot just before midnight (6 p.m. in Paris), witnesses said. Videos broadcast by local media showed the scale of the fire which spread across a large part of the ten-story building, located in a narrow alley in a residential area of Hanoi. Firefighters had to climb the facade to access certain disaster areas, according to other images.
Around 150 people lived in the building, whose balconies are protected by grills that cut them off from the outside, according to authorities cited by state media. “There is no escape route, it is impossible for the victims to escape,” local resident Hoa, who only gave one name, told Agence France-Presse. “There were cries for help. We couldn’t help them too much,” she continued.
Another witness, Huong, saw a little boy being thrown from a window to escape the flames. “The smoke was everywhere. A little boy was thrown from a high floor, I don’t know if he survived or if people caught him with a mattress,” Huong described.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visited the site on Wednesday morning, according to state media. The drama comes two days after a whirlwind visit by American President Joe Biden, who left the Vietnamese capital on Monday. A fire in a karaoke bar near Ho Chi Minh City (South) a year ago left 32 dead. The Prime Minister then ordered the inspection of risk sites.