A fire in a residential building in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, caused 56 deaths, the police announced this Wednesday, confirming information from state media.
“Fifty-six people were killed and 37 injured,” police said in a statement.
Among the more than 50 fatalities, “39 were identified,” the same source indicated.
The authorities reported that the owner of the property, identified as Nghiem Quang Minh, 44, was detained as part of an investigation, which has already been opened and is related to non-compliance with security regulations, according to the news portal. VN Express. .
Previously, the official news agency had reported the fire and the transfer of about 50 people to a hospital, including “dozens of dead.”
“This is a very serious fire,” the state agency added, noting that rescue teams managed to remove 70 people from the burning building.
The fire broke out shortly before midnight on Tuesday (6:00 p.m. in Lisbon), according to witness reports.
Videos broadcast by Vietnamese media reveal the magnitude of the fire, which spread throughout a large part of the ten-story building, located in a narrow alley in a residential area of Hanoi.
“We can’t help much. There is no emergency exit, so it is impossible for the victims to escape,” a local resident told the AFP news agency.
The resources mobilized to the scene included 15 fire vehicles and a hundred personnel, including military personnel.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin and other officials also visited the site.
In recent years, Vietnam has been the scene of several deadly fires, raising suspicions that basic safety standards are not being respected.
Last year, a fire at a karaoke bar near Ho Chi Minh City in the south of the country killed 32 people.
Source: TSF
