At least 32 dead and several others injured in Vietnam karaoke fire

At least 32 people were killed and others were injured on Tuesday night during a fire at a nightlife establishment in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong.

Local authorities confirmed the death toll to Vietnamese media on Wednesday and said firefighters managed to rescue an unknown number of people alive, reports news portal VnExpress.

The fire started around 21:00 local time (14:00 GMT) in a three-storey karaoke bar called An Phú in the city of Thuan An, about 20 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, for reasons that are still unknown.

Vietnam karaoke bar fire kills 12 as others jump from second and third floors to escape flames RIP https://t.co/hENsIjYhxF via @ABCaustralia

— Sofia Rita Belmonte (@Srb1970Rita) September 7, 2022

The fire spread through the establishment quickly and trapped a large number of people inside the premises, some of whom jumped from balconies and windows from a height of 8 meters to save their lives, according to the media.

The exits of the karaoke bar, which has 29 rooms and a large built-up area of more than 1,500 square meters, were closed when the fire started.

This, coupled with the rapid spread of the fire, caused many customers and some of the staff to panic, causing dozens of people to jump from the second and third floors to the ground, resulting in several people being injured. Also, many were rescued in an unconscious state due to asphyxiation, as reported by Vietnam News.

Firefighters, supported by 13 tankers, along with 66 officers deployed to the scene, took about 40 minutes to extinguish the flames.