Most residents were sleeping when their high-rise building suddenly burst into flames: At least 56 people died and many were injured in a devastating fire in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi.
The fire broke out late in the evening when many residents of the apartment complex were already in bed. As the police announced on Wednesday, at least 56 people died in the fire in a high-rise building in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, many of which have not yet been identified. More than 100 people were rescued from the nine-story apartment building, the Lao Dong newspaper reported. More than 37 residents were taken to various hospitals with injuries.
Many were injured when they jumped from the roof in a panic: more than 50 residents of the apartment complex were taken to nearby hospitals.
Residents jumped from the roof in panic
The cause of fire was unclear for the moment. The authorities are investigating. According to media reports, around 150 people lived in 45 mini-apartments in the building in the Thanh Xuan district. According to initial investigations, the fire started on the first floor, where there was a parking lot for scooters. According to authorities, the flames quickly spread to the upper floors.
Some panicked residents jumped from the roof onto adjacent buildings to save themselves from the flames, while others rappelled down from lower floors, it was said. Around 15 fire engines and more than 100 firefighters finally brought the fire under control. Photos shared online showed completely charred interior walls and the remains of numerous burnt scooters. Dozens of people were trapped in the burning house because there was only a single emergency exit, it said.
The day after the fire, the extent of the damage to the high-rise building becomes visible.
Lacking Fire safety regulations in Vietnam
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who was on site to assess the disaster, said authorities must learn from this tragedy. “A building like this must have exits,” he said. It is impossible to build so many floors and more than 40 apartments without enough emergency exits.
Fires occur frequently in Vietnam with many victims. The reason is a lack of fire protection regulations. Last year, more than 20 people died in a fire at a karaoke bar in the south of the country. In 2018, more than a dozen people died in a fire in a high-rise building in Ho Chi Minh City.