A fire killed 12 people and injured 11 overnight at a karaoke bar in Binh Duong, near Ho Chi Minh City, southern Vietnam, a local official told AFP on Wednesday.
“Rescue teams are on the scene looking for victims. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation,” said the official, Nguyen Thanh Ham.
The fire destroyed the 2nd and 3rd floors of the four-level building, trapping customers and staff inside, state media reported.
“Many people escaped through the main entrance, but many others jumped from the floors, breaking their legs and hands,” a witness told the VNExpress news site.
It is the deadliest fire in Vietnam since that of a residential building in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018, which killed 13 people.
A similar tragedy (13 dead) occurred in 2016 in a karaoke bar in the capital Hanoi. This tragedy had led the authorities to inspect night establishments, suspected of ignoring basic safety rules, across the country.
In August, three firefighters died trying to put out a fire that broke out at a Hanoi karaoke bar.