The death toll from a fire that ripped through a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam has risen to 23, an official said Wednesday. The fire engulfed the second floor of the building Tuesday night, trapping customers and staff as heavy smoke filled the stairwell and blocked the emergency exit, according to reports.
Many huddled on a balcony to escape the flames, which grew rapidly as they ignited the bar’s wooden interior, while others were forced to jump from the building, state media added.
Photos showed plumes of smoke billowing from the bar, located in a crowded residential neighborhood in the city of Thuan An, north of the commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City in Binh Duong province, as firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze. with stairs.
“We are still looking for more victims, but the number of dead so far is 23 and 11 wounded,” Mai Hung Dung, a senior ruling Communist Party official in Binh Duong, told AFP. Authorities had previously put the death toll at 12.
The initial cause of the fire was said to be an electrical short circuit, according to a report by Binh Duong authorities cited by state media.
The initial cause of the fire was said to be an electrical short circuit, according to a report by Binh Duong authorities cited by state media
