A fire broke out at the 18-story JSC 34 apartment block on Le Van Luong Street, Hanoi at 6pm, March 10. A mother and her son died of smoke inhalation.
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20 minutes after the fire appeared, six fire trucks arrived and blockaded the building. Rescue workers had to wear oxygen masks and used ladders to save people stuck on the top levels.
Ngoc Ha, a student of the Public Health University who lived on the 17th story, stated: “Seeing smoke, my brother and I quickly cut the circuit breaker and ran to the staircase, but we couldn’t see the way because of thick smoke. We returned to our apartment’s balcony and I heard many people screaming. If we didn’t cover our faces with wet washcloths, perhaps we would have died.”
In desperation, a family on the 18th floor plaited cloths into a rope to drop their 2-year-old daughter to the balcony below.
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A victim transported to the hospital by motorbike. |
“I was very frightened at that time, but seeing the kid hanging, I brought her into my apartment. Luckily, fire fighters took the kid down by their ladder several minutes later,” said a young man lived on the 17th storey.
A 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son, who lived on the 18th floor, died at the hospital due to smoke inhalation. Three others were injured.
The fire was put out by 7pm. Fire experts speculate that the fire came from the building’s garbage site.
PV
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