At least 33 people have been confirmed dead after a karaoke parlor in the southern province of Binh Duong caught fire Tuesday night.
According to Binh Duong authorities, the deceased comprise 17 men and 16 women.
The blaze broke out around 9 p.m. at the four-level An Phu karaoke parlor on Tran Quang Dieu street, Thuan An town, about 40 minutes’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City.
Witnesses and survivors said the fire started inside, and that staff had used mini fire extinguishers to cope with the situation, but to no avail. The blaze spread rapidly, trapping many inside.
It took more than one hour for 13 fire trucks to bring the fire under control. However, smoke could still be seen billowing from the roof on Wednesday morning.
A witness said the karaoke parlor had operated for five years, and often closed its main door at around 11 p.m., with latecomers required to contact staff.
According to an initial Binh Duong police report, the karaoke owner is 42-year-old man Le Anh Xuan, who lives in nearby Thu Duc city on HCMC’s outskirts. He opened the establishment in 2016. The report said the blaze broke out on the second floor, trapping 22 people on the rooftop from where they were rescued.
The deceased are currently being identified as police probe the case.
In a rapid report to provincial authorities, police noted the karaoke parlor had a license and had undergone fire prevention appraisal.
Six years ago, in November 2016, a karaoke parlor fire in Hanoi's Cau Giay district had killed 13 people.
The parlor on Tran Thai Tong street was a tube house, with a sealed design, no ventilation windows and a large billboard on the wall outside. It took firefighters six hours to put out the fire.
On August 1 this year, three firefighters died in a search and rescue operation launched after a fire broke out at a six-storey karaoke parlor, also in Cau Giay district, Hanoi.