Fire tears through Vietnam karaoke bar, killing 33
2022.09.08 08:22
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THUAN AN, Vietnam — A fire at a karaoke bar in Vietnam has killed at least 33 people, becoming the deadliest fire in the Southeast Asian country in over 20 years and prompting nationwide debate over fire safety standards and code enforcement.
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People were seen jumping from the balcony of the three-story building on Tuesday night as plumes of smoke rose into the sky. At least 13 people died from suffocation, officials said.
The incident was the latest in a series of fires to erupt at bars in Vietnam, and has prompted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to order safety inspections for all venues considered “high risk,” including bars, pubs and nightclubs. Police originally said 23 people had died but raised the toll to 33 on Wednesday.
An electrical short circuit set off the fire at An Phu Karaoke, a bar in the middle of the industrial district in Thuan An, a city about an hour outside the commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh, officials said.
The blaze started on the third floor before spreading rapidly to the second floor, catching on the foam mattresses that were used to soundproof the karaoke rooms, police said. Plumes of dense smoke and flames blocked exit routes for some 60 customers and employees. At least eight people were found dead in the bathroom, police said.
Nguyen Trong Phuc, 18, escaped by climbing onto a toilet seat and jumping out a window. “It was pitch dark” when he fled, he told the local news outlet VnExpress, but he could hear people screaming.
“Those screams still haunt me today,” he added.
By Thursday afternoon, police had cordoned off the block where the bar was located. Debris littered the street, which was empty of people.
Trinh Ngoc Quyen, police director for Binh Duong, where the bar is located, said officials suspect some guests were slow to respond to initial warnings about the fire because they were inebriated. “Some guests were not sober … so they locked the door to continue singing,” he said.
Because of the damage to the building, firefighters took a day to fully inspect the venue and identify victims, local officials said. As of Wednesday, officials had verified the identities of 17 people who died, the youngest of whom was 20. People living near the bar said it was fairly well-known and frequented by factory workers in the area.
The toll from the fire is the highest in Vietnam since 2002 and has raised questions about fire safety standards and inspection protocol.
Karaoke is a popular form of entertainment in Asia, and fires at these crowded locations can quickly turn deadly. Just last month, three firefighters died on the job while responding to a fire at a karaoke bar in the capital Hanoi. After 13 people died in another karaoke bar fire in 2016, the government ordered a fire safety review of entertainment venues.
Regine Cabato contributed reporting from Manila. Rebecca Tan reported from Singapore.
