Vietnam Binh Duong fire: Toll rises to 33 at An Phu bar incident

Friday, September 9, 2022

 A fire at a three-story karaoke bar in south Vietnam earlier this week killed at least 33 people, authorities said Thursday, raising the death toll after Tuesday night’s tragedy in Minh Duong Province.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered fire inspections across the country at karaoke bars, pubs, nightclubs and dancehalls following several fatal blazes at such establishments, one which killed three firefighters in Hanoi in early August.

Any clubs found without adequate fire safety measures in place will be shuttered.

Authorities said Tuesday night’s fire at AnPhu Karaoke near Ho Chi Minh City was sparked by an electrical short circuit on the second floor.

Built in 2016, the bar had passed several recent fire safety inspections, including at least one earlier this year.

However, it was unclear from reports whether the building had any type of fire sprinkler system in place.

At the outset, the bar’s staff scrambled to douse the flames, but they became quickly overwhelmed.

A wooden interior and soundproofing foam on the walls caused the blaze to grow out of control.

Nearby residents said they heard several loud explosions before flames quickly engulfed both upper floors, trapping dozens inside as the building filled with smoke.

Some of the doors inside were locked, preventing escape and hampering rescue efforts. Some of the victims were also too inebriated to escape, authorities said, leading to one of the deadliest blazes ever in the country’s history.

At least 40 people survived but were injured in the blaze.

Some made it out by leaping 25 feet to the ground from a balcony.

Fire officials extinguished the blaze hours later and recovery teams began the grim task of collecting the dead, several of whom spent their final moments together huddled in a restroom.

So far, the remains of 17 men and 16 women have been recovered, but only 19 of them have been positively identified, provincial police chief Col. Trinh Ngoc Queen told the news media.

Tuesday’s incident forced officials to reckon with a growing safety issue as fires at karaoke bars have become more frequent throughout the country.

The most recent blaze killed three firefighters on Aug. 1 at a five-story karaoke bar in Cau Giay District in Hanoi. Others include a fire at a karaoke bar in Hanoi in 2014 that left five people dead, and another in 2016 that killed 13.

Fire inspections in the country are not currently governed by any regulatory authority.

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