Apartment fire leaves dozens dead in Hanoi, Vietnam
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According to reports, the apartment is "so closed with no escape route", and it is impossible for the victims to get out.
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Firefighters work to put out a fire and rescue people at an apartment block in Hanoi on September 13, 2023 (AFP)
Vietnamese state media reported that dozens died after a fire broke out in an apartment block in Hanoi.
The fire reportedly broke out in the parking of a 10-story building shortly before midnight on Tuesday night and was put out by Wednesday morning.
"Authorities have rescued about 70 people, rushing to hospital 54 people, including dozens of dead," the official Vietnam News Agency reported, emphasizing that the fire was severe.
"We could not help them much," a woman, who lives near the block, told AFP at the site.
"The apartment is so closed with no escape route, impossible for the victims to get out."
The blaze was out on Wednesday morning, although workers continued searching for survivors.
Rescuers struggled to access the building in a highly residential area of southwest Hanoi, located down a narrow alley.
Read more: Vietnam suffers loss of $1.4bn due to power outages, hot weather
Last week, a fire broke out in a Karaoke bar in Vietnam leaving 23 dead. The blaze engulfed the second floor of the building on Tuesday night, trapping customers and staff and blocking them from using emergency exits.
