Arsonist sets Vietnamese karaoke bar on fire: eleven dead

hanoi - A fire in a karaoke bar in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi has claimed the lives of eleven people, police report. Two others were injured.

Police suspect the fire was deliberately started and have arrested "the perpetrator". In a statement, the police mentioned that the suspect admitted to using gasoline to set fire on the ground floor of the bar after getting into an argument with the staff.

Earlier reports from Vietnamese media indicated that the fire started when a molotov cocktail was thrown inside. Local media identified the suspect as a man in his early fifties.

"The fire blocked all the exits. The smell of gasoline was strong," a witness shared with Tien Phong newspaper. Seven people were rescued from the building, with two being hospitalized, as stated by the police.