VietNamNet Bridge – Fire blew up at a goldsmith’s shop in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho in the early morning of April 27, killing four people in a family.


According to police, local people saw fire inside the Huynh Van goldsmith’s shop of Mr. Phan Ngo Huynh, 41 and his wife, Ms. Nguyen Tuyet Van, 37, at around 3am.

Hundreds of people tried to stamp out the fire but they could not open the door until the fire was extinguished--thanks to a shower 40 minutes later. The house collapsed after the fire. The bodies of Mr. Huynh, his wife and his two children - Phan Kim Ngan, 12, and Phan Thanh Dat, 2, were found.

According to initial investigation, the fire was caused by short circuit. Victims could not open two iron doors to escape from the fire, so they died of suffocation.

Police said that the house was burnt down completely, causing losses of VND400 million ($20,000). However, gold and cash worth hundreds of USD was safe since it was kept in a safe box.


Mai Lan