Two people died and four others were injured Wednesday when a fire broke out at a 17-storied apartment block in Hanoi.
Witnesses said the fire started in the basement of JSC34 building in Thanh Xuan District and smoke spread through pipes to all the floors.
As the elevators stopped working following the fire alarm and the stairs were completely enveloped in smoke, dozens of people were stuck in the upper floors.
Firemen arrived and used gas masks to go inside and evacuate the victims, most of whom had been affected by the smoke by then.
A 43-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son died in hospital, reportedly after inhaling the smoke, while the injured recovered after treatment.
Dr Hong Bao Minh of Construction Hospital -- where the victims were taken -- said burning plastic objects had given off smoke toxic enough to kill a person in 10 minutes.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
POST YOUR COMMENT
City & Country
Phone Number
We will not publish
your email or full address on our website, or give them to a third party.
Tags:
fire
Vietnews is not responsible
for the content of external internet sites.