dpa
HANOI, Vietnam — Thirteen people died in a fire that began at a karaoke lounge in Hanoi, local authorities said Wednesday.
The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at a karaoke lounge and then spread to three neighboring karaoke lounges in Hanoi’s Cau Giay district, local official Duong Cao Thanh said.
Dozens of customers and employees managed to escape, however 13 people were trapped inside, local newspaper VN Express reported.
The fire started at the front of the lounge before it spread to the other buildings.
It took firefighters around five hours to extinguish the blaze, which also incinerated a car and several motorbikes standing on the street.
The bodies of 12 men and one woman were removed from the house by firefighters and rescuers late Tuesday.
An initial investigation revealed that the karaoke lounge did not met fire safety requirements.
Fatal fires are common in Vietnam, where safety features such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are haphazardly installed.
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