A fire in the Ho Chi Minh City, Carina Plaza apartment block killed 13 people in the early hours of Friday (Mar 23), said state media and a fire department official. The building in the city economic hub was a six-year-old apartment block included over 700 units
Fire Officials said 13 people died mostly from suffocation or after jumping from upper floors. Firefighters rescued more than 100 residents using cranes and platforms to reach them on balconies.
More than 30 fire engines and 200 firefighters were at the site and the fire was under control after an hour, he said.
The fire reportedly started in the basement garage from a motorbike.
Many among the dead and injured were desperate residents who jumped out of high windows to escape the raging flames. Improvised escape materials hung from a balcony on the apartment building.
In 2002, a fire at a trade centre in downtown Ho Chi Minh City killed 60 people in one of Vietnam’s worst fires.
Further details can be seen via Channel News Asia; Channel News Asia -Apartment Fire
Image for Illustration purposes.
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