Karaoke bar fire kills 12 and injures 40 as terrified survivors jump from building to escape inferno in Vietnam

AT LEAST 12 people have been killed and 40 others were injured after a blaze broke out in a karaoke bar in Vietnam.

Survivors were seen leaping from the building to escape the devastating inferno at the establishment in the Binh Duong province.

EPA

At least 12 people are dead after the inferno engulfed the bar on Tuesday[/caption]

EPA

Firefighters scrambled onto a crane to try and put out the ferocious blaze[/caption]

Revellers were said to have been enjoying a night of fun when a fire began to engulf the building on Tuesday night.

Terrified punters were trapped on the second and third floors of the popular bar as thick smoke filled the stairwell.

The toxic fumes also blocked the emergency exit, forcing customers to climb onto a crowded balcony to escape the danger.

Some leaped from the burning building as the fire continued to engulf the karaoke bar in the south of the country.

Among the wounded, 11 remain in a serious condition according to the official Vietnam News Agency.

Chilling images showed plumes of smoke billowing from the bar as locals described the mayhem.

Nguyen Sang, who lives nearby, told the Bangkok Post: “Many people ran outside through the main entrance, but many others could not stand the heat and they jumped down, breaking their hands and legs.”

Firefighters scrambled onto cranes in a bid to put out the ferocious blaze in the establishment, which boasts a whopping 30 rooms.

Rescue efforts continued throughout the night as teams searched for victims among the charred remains of the karaoke bar.

Police said the facility’s fire prevention regulations had been checked prior to the blaze.

Local official Nguyen Thanh Tam told reporters: “Rescue teams are still looking for victims at the scene.

“The cause of the fire has not been determined and is being investigated.”

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the Ministry of Public Security and provincial authorities to investigate the incident.

Just last month, three firefighters lost their lives in another blaze at a karaoke bar.

The trio were killed while trying to extinguish a fire at an establishment in the capital of Hanoi.

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