A further 37 people are being treated in hospital, the police confirmed on Wednesday evening.

Thirty-nine out of the deaths have been identified, said the police, adding thirty seven people were injured in the disaster.

The local education sector reported that a total of 29 schoolchildren of various grades fell victim to the blaze, among them 10 were killed.

The police also decided on Wednesday to detain the owner of the building – Nguyen Quang Minh, born in 1979, reflected in Cau Giay District, Hanoi – for four months to be evaluated for violations of the fire safety code.

They found that the structure had been built beyond its design. According to the approved license, it was a six-story building, but it fact it is now a nine-storey building.

The Director of Hanoi City Police is directing the investigation police unit to urgently investigate, strictly handle the case to the provisions of law, and actively coordinate with relevant authorities of Hanoi and Thanh Xuan District to visit and support the victims' families.

The fire broke out at around 23:00 on September 12, and the building was quickly engulfed in flames.

More than 150 residents living in over 40 apartments scrambled to seek ways out, but many were trapped in the building.

Firefighters were deployed to the scene 10 minutes afterward, but they found it difficult to reach the building due to a small lane.

Though the fire was put out shortly later, it had recorded the largest number of casualties in the past 21 years.

As of 5am Wednesday morning, about 70 people trapped in the building had been rescued.

The injured people are currently being treated at various hospitals – Hanoi University Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Ha Dong General Hospital, and Military Hospital 103, among others.

The Ministry of Health has ordered the hospitals to take care of the victims, and ensure sufficient supplies of medicines and equipment to ensure their recovery.

Currently, the focus is on providing medical treatment and stabilizing the mental well-being of the victims and their families, helping them overcome the crisis, and ensuring peace of mind during treatment, the ministry noted.

Hospital bills are not to be collected at the moment, it said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday asked competent forces to quickly deal with the consequences of the deadly fire and trace the cause.

In a dispatch sent to the Minister of Public Security and Chairpersons of provinces and centrally-run cities, the PM noted that the blaze has caused severe consequences, with many casualties.

On behalf of the Government, PM Chinh extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and urged Hanoi to provide them with material and spiritual support.

The municipal People’s Committee needs to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to instruct competent forces to identify the responsibility of organizations and individuals involved, and strictly handle misconducts (if any) in line with legal regulations.

The ministry and localities were asked to continue seriously observing instructions of the National Assembly, the Government and the PM on firefighting, and regularly monitor fire-prone facilities, especially mini apartment buildings and rental houses.

The same day, Chinh made a fact-finding trip to the blaze fire and visited the victims who were being treated at Bach Mai Hospital in the capital city.

He asked authorized agencies to seriously implement the dispatch, stressing the need to perfect regulations on firefighting in mini apartment buildings and densely populated areas, and step up the communications work in this regard.