Current:Home > Contact-usWitnesses say victims of a Hanoi high-rise fire jumped from upper stories to escape the blaze-InfoLens
Witnesses say victims of a Hanoi high-rise fire jumped from upper stories to escape the blaze
View Date:2024-12-23 15:39:46
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Ten children were among the 56 people killed in a blaze in a Hanoi high-rise, police said Thursday, which some residents desperately tried to escape by jumping out of upper stories, according to witnesses.
Authorities have still not released the cause of the fire, which broke out just before midnight Tuesday and wasn’t extinguished until Wednesday morning in the nine-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital.
With the fire out, only incense burned Thursday morning outside the building at a makeshift shrine set up by friends and relatives to pay their respects to the dead.
Witnesses told The Associated Press that it appeared that an electrical switchboard caught fire on the ground floor, which was also used for the parking of around 80 motorbikes and bicycles, sending thick smoke billowing through the building.
Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen told the AP that all five members of her family were sleeping on the first floor when they heard someone call out “fire.”
By that time, the smoke was already so dense they could only barely make out flames coming from the floor below them.
She ran out with her 4-year-old son, husband and father-in-law, but her mother-in-law wasn’t able to make it to the staircase in time before it filled with smoke.
Huyen says her husband made it back inside, and then he and her mother-in-law were able to make it down a ladder a neighbor had propped up onto their balcony.
“We’ve lost everything, but it doesn’t matter because the entire family escaped the fire,” she said.
“We survived the tragedy but it breaks my heart that many of my neighbors couldn’t make it.”
As the fire spread, people on higher floors got increasingly desperate and Pham Thu Hang, a pharmacist who lives across the street, said that many began to jump.
“We brought out mattresses and blankets as cushions for people to jump down, but many were panicked and they jumped regardless,” she said. “Some landed on neighbors’ hard roofs. I could hear the thudding sounds. Jumping out would give a better chance to survive than being trapped inside.”
Hanoi police said in a statement Thursday that some entire families were killed in the blaze, and that so far they have only been able to identify 39 of the 56 victims.
Another 37 people were injured, about half of whom were taken to Bach Mai hospital.
Hospital director Dao Xuan Co said that some required immediate operations for head and spinal injuries. Many also suffered broken bones and doctors were checking for internal injuries as well.
“The victims were panicked and jumped off from the tall building, so besides smoke inhalation, they also sustained multiple injuries,” he said.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Cabinet observed a minute of silence at the start of a meeting Thursday in honor of the victims.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- ‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
- Iowa motorist found not guilty in striking of pedestrian abortion-rights protester
- Kate Middleton and Prince William Get Special New Titles From King Charles III
- A college football player knew his teammate donated plasma to afford school. So, he gave him his scholarship.
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- As new school term begins, Kentucky governor points to progress with school safety efforts
- Don't call it 'vegan' and other tips from hospitals to get people to eat less meat
- Theater Review: A play about the making of the movie ‘Jaws’ makes a nice splash on Broadway
- DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
- When does 'The Equalizer 3' come out? Release date, cast, how to watch Denzel Washington trilogy
Ranking
- Incredible animal moments: Watch farmer miraculously revive ailing chick, doctor saves shelter dogs
- When does 'The Equalizer 3' come out? Release date, cast, how to watch Denzel Washington trilogy
- Katharine McPhee Misses David Foster Tour Shows Due to Horrible Family Tragedy
- 'The term is a racial slur': New Washington Commanders owners dredge up painful history
- Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
- Maui fires kill dozens, force hundreds to evacuate as Biden approves disaster declaration
- Are movie theaters making a comeback? How 'Barbenheimer' boosted movie morale.
- 2 men connected to Alabama riverfront brawl turn themselves in
Recommendation
-
Chicago Bears will ruin Caleb Williams if they're not careful | Opinion
-
Arraignment delayed again for Carlos De Oliveira, Mar-a-Lago staffer charged in Trump documents case
-
The live action 'The Little Mermaid' is finally coming to streaming—here's how to watch
-
Maui fires death toll rises to at least 53, hundreds forced to evacuate; Biden approves disaster declaration
-
Ben Foster files to divorce Laura Prepon after 6 years, according to reports
-
AP Week in Pictures: North America
-
Jury awards family of New York man who died after being beaten by police $35 million in damages
-
Kylie Jenner Is Rising and Shining in Bikini Beach Photos While Celebrating 26th Birthday