Latest News

Vietnam authorities arrest suspect in Hanoi coffee shop fire that killed 11

Police in Vietnam have jailed a man believed of beginning a blaze that killed 11 following an argument with staff in a Hanoi cafe, authorities said on Thursday, while 2 of the seven pulled from the flames were confessed to hospital.

In a declaration, cops said the man had actually admitted to utilizing gas to set Wednesday's fire on the ground flooring of the three-storey coffee shop, where people were also singing karaoke-style.

The suspect remains in his early 50s, stated the state-run Tien Phong paper, adding that one witness reported hearing an explosion.

The fire obstructed all the exits, another witness informed the paper. The smell of gasoline was strong.

It took about 40 minutes to control the fire, reported just after 11 p.m., authorities included, with 2 of the 7 rescued confessed to medical facility.

Images in an online paper, VnExpress, revealed firemen working to douse the flames, while the bodies of several victims were carried away.

I discovered a column of smoke from afar, it cited a witness as saying. I was so frightened that I needed to prompt my grandchild to go downstairs.

The flames were so fierce. We saw the fire ... however there was absolutely nothing else we might do.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called for immediate examination and strict action versus anyone who broke the law.

(source: Reuters)