8 killed in apartment complex fire in Vietnam

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - A fire swept through an apartment complex in Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City, killing at least eight people, including two children, local media reported Monday.

The fire broke out Sunday night in a ground-floor unit of the five-story building, prompting a chaotic evacuation as residents fled the building in panic, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Neighbors attempted to extinguish the flames using portable fire extinguishers, but the blaze quickly spread, engulfing the apartment.

Many vehicles including motorbikes, bicycles and cars were charred by the fire.

Some 1,723 fires and explosions occurred nationwide in the first half of this year, resulting in 48 deaths and 75 injuries, according to Vietnam's National Statistics Office.