It is known that a massive fire in an apartment building in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, resulted in at least eight fatalities and numerous injuries.
According to official media, some 70 individuals were saved from the nine-story structure. Local accounts indicate a much higher death toll.
Rescue efforts are still on despite the fact that the fire, which started during the night, has been put out.
Authorities in Hanoi, which is rapidly expanding, claim that many newly constructed residences do not adhere to fire safety rules.
In the last 20 years, the city’s population has increased fourfold to 5.25 million.
According to local media and city police, the apartment fire claimed the lives of around 30 people, many of them youngsters.
Although the reason is still being looked into, witnesses claim that it began on the building’s motorbike-filled parking floor.
Residents reported seeing black smoke billowing through the structure at about 16:00 GMT on Tuesday after hearing a loud noise.
One family claimed that in order to get out, they had to destroy the metal railings that were in the way of their window and place a ladder across to a neighboring structure.
“I heard many cries for assistance. We weren’t able to do much to support them, Hoa, a local resident, told the AFP news agency.
It is hard for the victims to escape because the flat is so small and has no exits.
Another observer saw a young child being tossed from a high floor to aid in his escape from the flames, according to AFP.
“There was smoke everywhere. Despite the fact that they utilized a mattress to grab him, I’m not sure if he made it or not, the woman remarked.
Although fifteen fire engines were dispatched to help, they were unable to approach the blazing apartment building due to the narrowness of the alley.
The fire brings to light the difficulties in maintaining fire safety in the area’s rapidly expanding and loosely governed communities.
33 people perished in a fire at a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam a year ago, whose windows had been bricked up to prevent escape.
Similar catastrophes have occurred frequently in other South East Asian nations like Thailand, where it was later discovered that the laws were either insufficient or frequently not enforced.
