Over 40 casualties in Vietnam's highrise apartment fire

Many were reported dead of suffocation as they tried to escape the flames by moving to the upper floor.

Image: AFP/ Twitter

New Delhi: In an early morning mishap, a fire broke out at an apartment complex in Vietnam, killing at least thirteen and wounding 27 civilians, reportedly. The accident took place in Carina Plaza highrise located in Vietnam’s Southern Commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. The flames that started around midnight at the lower floor of the building, spread to the upper floors within hours. Many were reported dead of suffocation as they tried to escape fire by moving to the upper floor. Vietnamese reported that at least 13 people were dead and more than a dozen were critically injured. The officials are yet to ascertain the cause of fire, but it is suspected that the fire may have broken out in the parking basement of the complex, that connected all the blocks of the apartment. Thick plumes of black smokes can be seen in the pictures floating on social media. The fire could be controlled by early morning on Friday. Image: Twitter After the fire, the residential site was transformed to a heap of burnt garbage. Image: AFP Improvised escape materials hang from a balcony at an apartment building after a fire broke out in Vietnam's southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City early on March 23, 2018. Image: AFP The fire is being said to be Vietnam’s gravest fire since 2016.