An enormous fire that broke out in an apartment building in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is responsible for the deaths of at least 56 people and the injuries of scores more.
According to the authorities, there were approximately 37 individuals injured in the incident, and 39 victims have been identified at this time.
It was determined that the fire, which had started during the night, had been put out. The person who owns the building has been taken into custody.
Authorities in the rapidly developing city of Hanoi have stated that many recently constructed residences do not comply with fire safety rules.
Over the previous 20 years, the city’s population has increased by a factor of four, reaching 5.25 million residents.
The origin of the fire is currently being examined, however eyewitnesses have stated that it began on the building’s parking floor, which at the time was crammed full of motorcycles.
On Tuesday night about 23:00 local time, or 16:00 GMT, residents reported hearing a tremendous blast and then saw black smoke billowing through the structure.
One family reported that in order to escape, they had to destroy the metal railings that were blocking their window and set up a ladder so that they could cross to the next-door building.
“I heard a lot of people screaming for assistance. We were not able to provide them with very much assistance,” Hoa, a local resident, explained to the AFP news agency.
“There is no way for the victims to get out of the apartment because it is so sealed off and there is no escape route.”
According to reports from AFP, a second witness observed a young boy being tossed from a high floor in order to assist him in escaping the flames.
“There was smoke in every direction. She stated, “I don’t know whether he survived or not despite the fact that people used a mattress to catch him.”
Fifteen fire engines were dispatched to assist, but they were unable to get near to the apartment building that was on fire because the alley in which it was located was too small.
Hundreds of people have gathered in front of a mortuary in the western part of the city, waiting to learn whether or not their loved ones were killed in the fire.
“I lost my daughter, who was staying with her mother,” one guy said to AFP. “I was staying with her mother.”
He was unsure of where his wife was, but he speculated that she did not make it and remarked “I guess she did not make it either.”
A group of five ladies who were sitting on the ground outside the mortuary reported that their “whole family had gone.”
“They were our children and grandchildren,” they stated. “They were our children.”
According to a statement released by the government, Nghiem Quang Minh, the owner of the building, was held by the police on suspicion of violating legislation pertaining to the prevention of fires, and an investigation is currently being conducted.
The fire sheds attention on the difficulties involved in regulating fire safety in the region’s rapidly expanding cities, which are also inadequately controlled.
A fire that broke out a year ago in the southern part of Vietnam at a karaoke club where the windows had been bricked up prevented the escape of 33 individuals.
In the aftermath of other disasters of a like nature that took place in other South East Asian nations like Thailand, it was discovered that the relevant legislation were either insufficient or, in many instances, simply not enforced.
