Apartment block fire kills eight in Vietnam

HANOI, July 07 (AFP): A blaze that tore through an apartment block in Vietnam's southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City killed eight people, including two children, local authorities said Monday.

The fire was sparked late Sunday on the ground floor of a five-storey apartment block, with all eight fatalities due to smoke inhalation, Ho Chi Minh City authorities said in a statement.

Residents battled the flames with fire extinguishers as blasts were heard from inside the property, before emergency service crews arrived, according to media reports.

"There were shouts for help from the apartment. Several residents on higher floors had to jump down to escape. It was terrible," a neighbour told the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper.