A fire that broke out at a karaoke lounge in Vietnam's capital killed at least 13 people, the government said on Wednesday, in a rare accident of its kind for which the prime minister demanded an investigation and punishment for safety violations. HANOI: Vietnam has opened an investigation into a blaze which killed 13 at a karaoke bar and took several hours to put out, as officials said on Wednesday (Nov 2) some victims likely suffocated in windowless rooms. Most of the dead were government workers enjoying a staff party when the fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in the multi-storey building in Hanoi's commercial Cau Giay district and quickly tore through neighbouring buildings. The national fire department has ordered a country-wide assessment of fire prevention measures at all karaoke bars, clubs and restaurants, and all karaoke venues in Cau Giay have been closed for inspection, according to state media. In a statement on a government website, Premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked local authorities to search for victims and ordered police to carry out a prompt investigation and punish anyone who violated the law. Karaoke bars are popular hangouts in communist Vietnam, among government officials and young people alike, and Tuesday's fire was not the first of its kind in the capital.
A fire at a karaoke bar in Hanoi's Cầu Giấy district kills 13 people.