Hundreds of people fleeing from a building fire

Hundreds of people tried to escape from the Phuc Thinh residence quarter in District 5, HCM City, on October 3.

Local witnesses said they saw the black smoke rising from a fire on the fourth level of the 25-storey building at 7pm.

More than 10 fire trucks with 60 fighters rushed to the scene to stamp out the fire in two hours.

Some claimed said that the fire might be caused by electrical leakage on the fourth or fifth storey of the building.

By 10pm, hundreds of residents had to camp out. The Phuc Thinh residence quarter has three buildings put into operation in 2004.

Director arrested for insurance fraud     

Police in northern Phu Tho Province have prosecuted the former director of Phu Ninh District's Social Insurance Office, Trieu Van Hoa, for being allegedly ‘irresponsible and causing serious consequences'.

Hoa, 40, who was director of the Lam Thao District's social insurance office at the time of his arrest, violated social insurance law and illegally issued insurance books to eight unsuitable people to help them get pensions.

This action caused a loss of about VND300 million (US$14,400) to the State budget.

The police have summoned the eight beneficiaries to re-examine their legal papers and retrieve the lost amount of money.

Border guards seize 18kg of illicit drugs

Border guards from the Mong Cai border gate have busted a drug trafficking ring, arresting three suspects and seizing 18kg of heroin in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

After more than a month of investigations, these three suspects were caught red-handed on Monday in Ninh Duong Ward, Mong Cai City. They admitted to buying heroin to sell in China.

The bust was carried out successfully through the joint efforts of local anti-drug police and soldiers from the Mong Cai frontier post.

Seasonal downpours leave Binh Phuoc under water

Two days of heavy rainfall have caused flooding in many areas and caused damage to property in southern Binh Phuoc Province, the provincial Steering Committee of Flood and Storm Prevention and Control has said.

Vu Hong Liem, chief of the committee's office, said that downpours occurred from 7pm on Tuesday in most localities in the province with the water level rising to 91.1 millimetres.

The rain was triggered after the province was hit by Gaemi, the seventh storm of the year. The water submerged about 250 hectares of crops in Hon Quan District, causing difficulties for the residents and two households were forced to move to higher ground.

The situation has been worse in Binh Long District where 22 households had to be evacuated. Two of them were later submerged up to 1.5 metres deep in water.

Liem said that the province was in the middle of the rainy season and heavy rainfall would continue over the next few days due to the influence of the storm. If water levels increase in the reservoirs, water discharge will worsen the flooding situation, especially in low-lying areas.

The committee has required relevant authorities to remain on duty around the clock to monitor the water level in reservoirs and assess the safety of the local people, who will be informed if it is necessary to discharge water.

Bike for charity or for your health

KOTO (Know One, Teach One), an Australian-Vietnamese charity for street and disadvantaged youths in Viet Nam, will host a charity bike ride on Saturday, November 10.

The ride to raise funds for training centres and housing for 200 trainees will follow a 50km cycle route from the Ciputra New-urban Area near West Lake to the Son Tinh Camp in Dong Mo – about 40km east of Ha Noi centre.

Riders can enjoy fresh air, explore leafy forests or take a dip in Dong Mo Lake. The journey will conclude with a meal served by KOTO trainees.

The tour will start at 8am and finish at 4pm. Registration is US$120. Email kotobikeride@koto.com.au or phone 0934 548 985.

Also, social bicycle rides hosted by the Ha Noi Bicycle Collective include 15km rides at 6am every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; Monday night at 10.30pm and Saturday at 6am. Contact the collective at No 44, Alley 31, Xuan Dieu Street, Tay Ho District.    

VNN/VOV/VNS