At least 12 people were killed and two others were severely injured in a conflagration at a four-story karaoke parlor in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong on Tuesday night.

The province’s chairman Vo Van Minh confirmed the number of fatalities at 8:20 am on Wednesday, adding that the injured people are being treated at Binh Duong General Hospital. 

The fire broke out at around 9:00 pm on Tuesday and quickly spread, according to witnesses.

Many employees of the karaoke parlor and customers managed to run out of the burning four-story building while rescuers struggled to take several others out of the scene in a state of injury, asphyxiation, and unconsciousness.

“I saw many people jump from high floors to the ground and get injured,” said L.T.H., a 40-year-old woman living near the karaoke venue.

“I and many others heard the cries of the trapped victims but we were helpless,” said Phan Thanh Tung, a 30-year-old local who, together with several other residents, tried to extinguish the fire with large bottles of water taken from their homes but to no avail.

The firefighting effort lasted until Wednesday morning, with columns of smoke still rising from the karaoke venue and multiple fire trucks still spraying water as of 9:20 am.

The accident attracted a large number of curious onlookers and travelers as the burnt building is located near the An Phu roundabout in Binh Duong's Thuan An City, where traffic density is usually high.

Bình Duong police officers are investigating the cause of the conflagration at the karaoke venue, which was certified to meet proper fire prevention requirements.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a karaoke venue in Thuan An City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, September 6, 2022. Photo: T. Hai / Tuoi Tre

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