Dozens dead in Hanoi apartment fire

Dozens of people died in a fire at an apartment block in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, state media said Wednesday. The fire started just before midnight on Tuesday in the parking floor of the 10-storey building, an area packed with motorbikes. More than 100 people managed to escape or were pulled from the building by rescuers, with authorities rushing 54 to hospital, including "dozens of dead".

Rescuers struggled to access the building, in a highly residential area of southwest Hanoi, located down a narrow alley. The blaze was out by Wednesday morning. The complex's small balconies were surrounded by iron bars, with the apartment block having only a single exit -- and no emergency ladder on the outside. Around 150 people lived in the complex.