More than 100 dead in Vietnam fire
( 2002-10-30 11:05 ) (7 )

More than 100 people died in the fire that ravaged an office block in southern Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, according to a new toll published in the official media Wednesday.

The Lao Dong (labour) daily said the fire that tore through the six-storey Saigon International Business Centre on Tuesday killed more than 100 people, and that many others were still missing.

"Around 100 bodies have been discovered in the building including that of one foreigner," said the paper, without specifying any nationality.

The Ho Chi Minh City-based Tuoi Tre (youth) newspaper also said the death toll was over 100 and that many people had been taken to hospital in a serious condition.

The newspapers said more than 500 people were inside the building when the blaze erupted in a discotheque inside the block at lunchtime on Tuesday.

The reports said that many people were listed as missing following the fire, which was the worst in the commercial capital since the end of the Vietnam War 27 years ago.

Witnesses described how some people were killed after jumping from windows to escape the flames.

The fire raged for over five hours before firefighters brought it under control, with the aid of some 20 fire trucks, including a handful from Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

However, state television said firefighters struggled to contain the blaze because of inadequate equipment and water shortages.

Companies from Australia, Britain, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United States had offices in the centre.