Many killed in ‘huge fire’ at apartment block in Vietnam’s Hanoi

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Rescue operations under way at nine-storey building housing 150 people, state media reports.

Many people have been killed in a “huge blaze” at an apartment block in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, according to state media, with operations under way to rescue survivors.

The fire broke out at about midnight local time on Wednesday but had been contained by 2am (19:00 GMT), the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. It said dozens of people had died in the blaze that engulfed the nine-storey building, which was home to 150 people.

Some 70 people were rescued from the block, with 54 of them rushed to hospital, it said.

Authorities have yet to confirm the number of deaths.

The VN Express International website said hospitals had confirmed at least 11 deaths.

Several of the victims included children.

Television images showed firefighters equipped with hoses and ladders at the scene by night, while a column of thick, dark smoke billowed from the building during the day.

“We could not help them much,” a woman who lived near the block told the AFP news agency at the site. “The apartment is so closed with no escape route, impossible for the victims to get out.”

Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, the agency said.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies