Several people were killed in a fire at an apartment block in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, Wednesday, with witnesses reporting screaming from within and a small boy thrown from the building.
According to the witnesses, the fire erupted just before midnight on Tuesday (1700 GMT) in the parking level of the 10-storey structure, which was packed with motorbikes.
Authorities rescued about 70 people and rushed 54 to hospitals, including dozens of dead. At least three children were among the Killed.
“I heard a lot of shouts for help. We could not help them much”, said Hoa, a lady who lives nearby and offered only one name.
“The apartment is so closed with no escape route, impossible for the victims to get out”, she explained.
The fire was out by Wednesday morning, but rescuers were still having difficulty getting into the building, which is located along a tight lane in a residential area of southwest Hanoi.
The building’s small balconies were enclosed by iron bars, and there was only one exit, and no emergency ladder on the outside.
authorities stated that approximately 150 people lived in the complex.
Huong, another witness, stated that a small boy was tossed from a high floor to assist him in escaping the flames.
“I was about to sleep when I smelled something. I went outside and saw the fire”, she explained.
“The smoke was everywhere. There was a little boy thrown from a high floor, I don’t know whether he survived or not although people used a mattress to catch him”, she explained.
Tran Luu Quang, the deputy prime minister, paid a visit to the scene on Wednesday morning.
In recent years, Vietnam has seen a number of devastating fires. entertainment venues.
A fire in a three-story karaoke bar in commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City killed 32 people a year ago.
At least 17 individuals were injured in that fire, and the owner was arrested on allegations of violating fire prevention regulations.
Following that, the prime minister directed that all high-risk sites be inspected.
In 2018, 13 people were killed when an apartment building in Ho Chin Minh City caught fire.
Another 13 people were killed in a fire at a Hanoi karaoke bar in 2016.
Fires are commonly fatal in Southeast Asia, and accidental conflagrations are widespread as a result of inadequate safety standards.
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