At Least 48 Killed in Vietnam Fire

At least 48 people were killed today and more than 100 injured in a fire in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that tore through a building housing the offices of foreign companies, shops and a disco.

Firefighters were still unable to enter the building more than four hours after the fire started because of the intense heat. Dozens more people could be trapped inside, the firefighters said.

At least one person could be seen at a window signalling for help but the firefighters said they did not have the necessary equipment to reach him.

The six-storey International Trading Centre has several floors of shops and about 50 offices.

The American International Assurance Company was conducting a training program in the building for about 100 of its insurance agents when the fire began, said a company official who identified herself only as Tien.

Six staff members were missing and about 30 were injured, some seriously, she said.

"A bell rang, and then the electricity cut off," she said. "The fire came very fast."

A wedding reception was also being held in the building, Ho Chi Minh City Television said. It said about 500 people were inside when the fire broke out.

The cause of the fire in the city's downtown area was not immediately known, but police said they suspected it started in the Blue Disco, the city's most popular nightclub.

It has been attacked in the state-controlled press in recent days for allegedly condoning "social evils" such as drug use.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon, is Vietnam's southern commercial centre.