Hanoi suspends all cultural, entertainment events to mourn victims of apartment fire tragedy
Friday, September 15, 2023, 14:27 GMT+7
All cultural, sports, and entertainment activities are to be halted in Hanoi until Sunday as the Vietnamese capital city mourns the victims of a tragic inferno that engulfed an apartment block on Khuong Ha Street in Thanh Xuan District, killing 56 people this week.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh messaged all departments across the city’s districts and wards to suspend all unnecessary events in order to hold memorial services for those who perished in the city’s deadliest fire on record.
The decision was meant to share the sorrow with the bereaved families.
The municipal administration also asked the city’s departments and all-level agencies to concurrently pay silent tributes to those who lost their lives in the inferno at 8:00 am on Monday next week.
Leaders of various district administrations in Hanoi confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they had received the directive.
In addition to the suspension of secular activities, religious groups in the city will be holding requiem masses to pray for the peace for the deceased’s souls on Friday, Venerable Thich Nguyen Chinh, deputy head of the office of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, told Tuoi Tre on Friday morning.
Regardless of heavy rains on Thursday, crowds of residents offered incense to the deceased and made donations in cash and in kind to the survivors from the fatal blaze and to those who lost their loved ones.
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| Bui Sy Thai, a 19-year-old student at the National Economics University in Hanoi, traveled nearly three kilometers to donate clothes to the fire victims. “I wanted to lend a helping hand to the victims so that they can overcome the huge loss,” Thai said. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre |
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| Nguyen Cong Huy, a 41-year-old who rescued his family members and neighbors from the deadly fire with a rope ladder, said that the donations warmed his heart. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre |
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| A house is full of bags of necessities donated by residents to the fire victims. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre |
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| Some residents offer incense to the deceased in the apartment block inferno in Hanoi. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre |
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| Students offer incense and pay homage to friends who lost their lives in the fatal blaze. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre |
Students who have friends dying in the incident visited the burned-down apartment block to pay tribute to their friends on Wednesday.
Despite rains, hundreds of locals from near and far rushed to a cultural house in Khuong Dinh Ward in Thanh Xuan District to donate money and necessities to the victims.
An altar built in front of the apartment block to commemorate the victims saw crowds of residents offer incense.
Police in Hanoi on Wednesday confirmed that 56 individuals perished in a fire that erupted in the nine-story building at 11:50 pm on Tuesday. Over 90 survivors escaped the flames.
On Wednesday, police detained Nghiem Quang Minh, a 44-year-old resident of Hanoi’s Cau Giay District who owns the apartment block, for allegedly violating fire prevention and fighting regulations.
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