A fire that broke out late Tuesday in a nine-story apartment tower in Hanoi, Vietnam, killed at least 56 people, making it possibly one of the country’s deadliest fires in more than a decade.
After the fire was extinguished early Wednesday, the state-run Vietnam News Agency reported that another 37 people were injured and more than 100 others had been rescued, citing authorities.
The building where the fire broke out had 45 households and there were many residents when the fire broke out around 11:30 p.m., the Vietnam News Agency reported. Officials said the cause is under investigation.
The fire broke out two days after President Biden wrapped up a visit to Vietnam in which he struck a strategic deal with the country amid shared concerns about China’s growing ambitions in the region.
The fire in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan district was difficult to fight because the tower is in a narrow alley and fire trucks had to park up to about 400 meters away, the state news agency said.
Hanoi is known for its labyrinthine alleys, many of which wind through neighborhoods where most of the buildings are French colonial-era buildings. The alleys are often big enough for motorcycles, but not for large trucks.
Last year, a short circuit in a three-story karaoke bar near Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam caused a fire that killed 32 people. It was the country’s deadliest fire in a decade and one of several that have devastated karaoke bars in recent years.
Those fires led to fire inspections and new fire safety rules, but such reforms are not universally popular. Some in the country’s business community say they are unrealistic and will cause construction delays.