Police in Hanoi on Wednesday confirmed 56 deaths in a fire that hit an apartment block the day before, with 39 of them identified.

The municipal police have also reported the number of injured victims at 37.

The fire at the apartment block down a narrow alley on Khuong Ha Street in Thanh Xuan District caused extremely serious consequences, police officers stated.

The conflagration broke out at 11:50 pm on Tuesday at the apartment block, which consists of nine floors and a mezzanine and is home to around 150 people.

At the time of the fire, many people were stuck inside.

Fifteen fire trucks carrying hundreds of firefighters later reached the scene of the blaze, put it out within 45 minutes, and prevented it from spreading to adjacent houses.

Rescuers had saved about 70 people, rushing 54 people to the hospital as of 5:00 am on Wednesday.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Hai Trung, director of the Hanoi police department, has asked municipal investigators to join forces with police officers in Thanh Xuan District and other relevant agencies to probe the cause of the fire.

Police have detained Nghiem Quang Minh, 44, residing in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, the owner of the apartment block, over alleged violations of fire prevention and fighting regulations, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reported.

On the same day, the Ministry of Public Security required its forces to mitigate the aftermath of the incident, clarify the responsibility of relevant individuals and organizations, and impose sanctions on violators.

The ministry also requested that the Hanoi police visit and support the families of the victims.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday afternoon inspected the scene of the blaze and asked relevant agencies to quickly investigate the cause of the inferno and prevent similar tragedies.

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