Fire that burned in a 9-story apartment building in Vietnam's capital has killed at least 56 people
Hanoi (AP): A fire in a nine-story apartment building in Vietnam's capital killed at least 56 people, including at least four children, while 37 more are being treated, state media reported citing the police.
Of the 56 people confirmed dead, the police have identified 39 victims, the state-owned Viet Nam News said Wednesday evening.
Initial reports about the death toll were unclear since the injured and dead were taken to different hospitals across the city. The fire started around midnight and was extinguished in the morning, rescue operations continued throughout the day.
The police have detained the owner of the building as part of their investigation.
State-owned national television channel VTV said four children were among those killed.
The fire was believed to have started late Tuesday and rescuers struggled to reach the building on a narrow lane in south Hanoi. It wasn't immediately clear how much of the building had burned.
It was home to 150 residents, and 54 of the 70 people rescued from the fire were hospitalised for their injuries, state media said. Residents were being treated for smoke inhalation and injuries sustained as they tried to escape the building.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire, which started around midnight in the parking area of the building that had no emergency exit.
A deadly fire at a karaoke parlour in southern Vietnam's Binh Duong province killed 32 people last year.
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
