Hanoi leaders have directed that fire safety examinations be conducted in all mini-apartment buildings in the capital following a fire that killed at least 56 people.

The blaze occurred late on the night of September 12 in a ten-story building down an alleyway on Khuong Ha Street, Thanh Xuan district.

The Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee has asked authorities in districts and communes to inspect all apartments for rent, especially mini-apartment buildings, to see if they have followed all protocols on fire prevention and fighting.

Violations will be strictly punished under law.

Districts and communes are also required to instruct owners of apartment buildings to promptly tackle any violations found in fire prevention and fighting to prevent similar incidents.

On September 13, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made a fact-finding trip to the burned building and visited victims receiving medical treatment. He asked relevant agencies to seriously implement the new dispatch, emphasizing the need to perfect regulations on firefighting in mini-apartment buildings and densely-populated areas, and to step up communications work in this regard.