Smoke rises from a building in Hanoi, Vietnam Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Authorities said "many" people had been killed after a fire broke out in the apartment block. (Nhan Huu Sang/ VNA via AP) (Nhan Huu Sang, VNA)

HANOI – Around a dozen people are feared dead after a massive fire broke out at an apartment building in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, state media said on Wednesday.

The fire is believed to have started late Tuesday and 54 of the 70 people who were rescued from the building were hospitalized with injuries, the report said.

Authorities are yet to confirm the exact death toll.

The fire has been extinguished but rescue operations are continuing.

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