An explosion at a pub in Hanoi's Cau Giay District injured six people and caused serious damage to the pub on June 16.
Scene blocked off for investigation
The incident occurred around 5am at the O2 pub on To Hieu Street. Witnesses heard a loud bang and saw chairs, tables and glasses blown dozens of metres away from a ground-floor kitchen. No one dared approach the pub in the aftermath, as sounds of gas leakage could still be heard.
Traffic light bent from blast
A family living in a nearby house were also hospitalised. "My son, his wife and his two-year-old son were sleeping. They were burned and injured when the blast came through our window. I had to call a taxi to all to St. Paul Hospital," said Do Thi Han.
Nguyen Thi Thao, an employee at the pub, said seven of them were also sleeping on the second floor. When the explosion occurred, they climbed onto the next house. She said, "One of our employees was hit on the head and brought to the hospital. It's lucky no one was sleeping near the kitchen last night."
Damaged property
Neighbours brought three of the employees to E Hospital. Lieutenant Duong Van Binh, from Cau Giay District's Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department, said they received the news at around 5:20am and arrived at the scene within minutes. He went on to say that only three months ago, the department provided a training session on fire prevention for the pub's owner and managers.
Initial investigation seem to point to gas leakage as the cause of the explosion. However, Do Hai Nam, the gas supplier of the business, said, "The gas system we installed was still intact after the blast." Investigations are ongoing.