At least 23 people were killed and 11 others were injured in a fire that broke out on Tuesday night, according to a new report. in a karaoke bar near Ho Chi Minh Cityon South Vietnam.

A fire broke out at An Phu Karaoke Bar in Thuan An, north of Ho Chi Minh City, which is the country’s industrial heartland.

“The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation,” city official Nguyen Tan Ham said.

The fire destroyed the 2nd and 3rd floors of the four-story building and 30 karaoke rooms, state media reported, trapping patrons and staff inside.

Some ran to the balcony as the flames raged in the wood-paneled interior, while others, according to the same source, jumped from the floor.

“Many people were able to escape by exiting through the main entrance, but many others were jumping off the floors, resulting in broken limbs,” an eyewitness told news website VNExpress.

Pictures taken this morning show firefighters working on faucets near windows that still billow smoke.

Local police said the building’s fire safety measures were checked before the crash, state media reported.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin today ordered an inspection of endangered sites, mainly karaoke bars, which are very popular in the country.

It is Vietnam’s deadliest fire since the 2018 Ho Chi Minh City apartment building fire that killed 13 people.

A similar tragedy (13 dead) occurred in 2016 in a karaoke bar in the capital Hanoi. This prompted the authorities to begin inspections of nightclubs due to suspicions of violating basic safety rules, especially fire safety.

In August, three firefighters died while trying to put out a fire at a karaoke bar in Hanoi.

^{According to AFP, APE-MPE}