HCMC – Hanoi City has decided to suspend all cultural and sport events, and entertainment activities from September 14 to 17 in commemoration of 56 people who were killed in a fire at a mini apartment building.
All entertainment activities at the pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem Lake will be halted this weekend. Meanwhile, Ba Dinh District has rescheduled its running race, which was originally planned for September 15, to another day.
Several districts have also requested schools to halt physical education and sport activities.
All agencies and units in the city will observe a moment of silence at 8 a.m. on September 18 for those who died in the blaze.
On the evening of September 12, a fire engulfed the mini apartment building on Khuong Ha Street in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District, leaving 56 people dead and 37 injured.
The owner of the apartment building, Nghiem Quang Minh, has been detained on alleged charges of violating fire safety regulations.
The fire caused the most severe consequences in the country over the past 21 years, following the one in the HCMC International Trade Center in 2002, which left 60 people dead and 70 others injured.
The government of Hanoi, along with various political and social organizations and the citizens, have engaged in numerous activities to support the victims of the fire incident.
