Ho Chi Minh City police examined the scene of a boat fire on the Saigon River that left one person dead on August 8.
The scene of the fire (Photo: Provided by local residents).
According to initial information, at about 7 am the same day, a fire broke out on a boat moored on the Saigon River near Thanh Da peninsula, in Binh Quoi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Within minutes, the flames engulfed the entire vessel, sending a column of black smoke high into the air, accompanied by several explosions.
Minh Toan, a container lorry driver working at Phuoc Long 3 ICD port, said he was inside the port when he heard a loud explosion from the river.
"Several others and I ran out and saw the boat on the Thanh Da side engulfed in flames. Someone called 114, but the location may not have been reported accurately, so fire engines went into Phuoc Long port. The authorities then had to turn back because the blaze was on the opposite bank," Toan said.
The fire destroyed the boat (Photo: Provided by local residents).
Toan said the blaze destroyed the boat and caused much of the property on board to sink into the river.
Initial findings by the authorities showed that the burned boat was carrying general goods and had two people on board.
The fire threw both people into the river. A 53-year-old woman died, while a man managed to swim ashore and was taken by local residents to a medical centre for a health check.
The blaze completely destroyed the boat but did not cause an oil spill or affect river traffic.
