Fire at condominium complex in southern Vietnam kills at least 13

Over 700 apartments in the three buildings were built six years ago and many died of suffocation and jumping from high floors.

In this image taken from video, residents at a condominium use mobile phones flash to call for help following a fire in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Friday, March 23, 2018. The fire killed over a dozen people, most of them died of suffocation or jumping from high floors.

A city official said a fire at a condominium complex in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City killed at least 13 people and injured another 27.

The city fire and police department official says it’s unclear whether anyone is missing in the blaze early on Friday morning and declined to give more details.

More than 700 apartments in the three buildings were built six years ago.

Death from suffocation, jumping

The official Vietnam News Agency reported that most people died of suffocation or jumping from high floors.

It said the blaze started in the basement parking area and took more than 200 firefighters more than an hour to put under control.

In 2002, a fire at a trade centre in the southern commercial hub’s downtown killed 60 people in one of Vietnam’s worst fires.