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At least
32 people have died
in the fire that swept through a karaoke bar in southern
Vietnam,
state media reported on Wednesday.
The fire swept through 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 crowded onto a balcony to escape the flames, which grew rapidly as they reached the
wood-paneled interior,
while others were forced to jump, state media added.
Photos showed plumes of smoke rising from the bar - located in a busy residential neighborhood in the city of
Thuan An
- as firefighters with cranes tried to extinguish the fire.
The Cong An Nhan Dan
newspaper ,
the official mouthpiece of the Ministry of
Public Security,
stated that the death toll from the karaoke fire had risen to 32, with 17 men and 15 women killed.
State media reported that eight people were found dead in the bathroom.
electrical short circuit
The initial cause of the fire would have been an electrical short circuit, according to a report by the authorities cited by the state media.
Witness
Nguyen Sang,
who lives near the karaoke bar, told the
VnExpress
news site that when the fire engines arrived, a receptionist claimed that 40 people were trapped inside.
"Many people ran out of the main entrance, but others couldn't stand the heat and jumped off, breaking their hands and legs," Sang said.
Rescue teams searched throughout the night for people trapped in the 30-room bar.
Victims of the fire.Duong Tri TuongAP
The karaoke venue's fire prevention regulations had been reviewed before the fire, police told state media.
In 2016, a fire at a karaoke bar in the capital Hanoi left 13 dead, prompting a nationwide assessment of fire prevention measures in bars and clubs.
Vietnamese Prime Minister
Pham Minh Chinh
on Wednesday ordered a new inspection of high-risk venues, especially karaoke bars.
Last month, three firefighters died after trying to extinguish a fire at another
Hanoi karaoke bar.
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