6 defendants prosecuted in mini apartment fire in Hanoi
Regarding the fire at a mini apartment building on Khuong Ha Street, Khuong Dinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, on January 31, the Hanoi City Police Department announced that it had decided to prosecute 6 suspects for the crime of "Lack of responsibility causing serious consequences".
All six people prosecuted are officials, including construction inspectors.
Previously, on the night of September 12 and early morning of September 13, 2023, a 10-storey mini apartment building with 45 apartments on Khuong Ha Street, Khuong Dinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District caught fire, killing 56 people and injuring 37 others.
After 7 days of the terrible fire, on September 19, 2023, the Institute of Criminal Science of the Ministry of Public Security issued a conclusion on the cause of the fire.
According to the expert conclusion, the fire started in the area adjacent to the southern wall, about 2.3m from the eastern wall on the first floor inside the multi-apartment residential area.
The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical short circuit in the electrical line in the battery area of the front of a gasoline-powered motorbike (scooter type) located against the southern wall of the first floor, causing the fire, according to a notice from the investigation agency.
According to the forensic conclusion, the fire then spread to the electric cable area, the electric meter boxes mounted on the wall on the first floor and spread around, leading to a terrible fire.
Of the 4 fire extinguishers sent for appraisal, 3 have not been used and 1 has been used.
The mini apartment fire caused particularly serious consequences, with 56 deaths and 37 injuries.
Based on the collected documents, the Hanoi City Police Department has issued a decision to prosecute the case, prosecute the accused and issue an arrest warrant for temporary detention (4 months) against Nghiem Quang Minh (born in 1979, currently residing in Yen Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi), the owner of the apartment building where the fire occurred, for the crime of "Violating fire prevention and fighting regulations" under Article 313 of the Penal Code.
According to the construction permit issued by Thanh Xuan district in March 2015, the project is to build a 6-storey private house with a first floor construction area of 167m2.2, density 70%, total height 20.2m. In fact, the investor has turned the low-rise housing project into a 10-storey mini apartment building, construction area 230m2, divided into 45 apartments for sale.
After the fire, the Hanoi Party Committee issued a decision to inspect signs of violations at three Party organizations in Thanh Xuan district (the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee, the Thanh Xuan District Police Party Committee and the Khuong Dinh Ward Party Committee for the 2015-2020 and 2020-2025 terms) to clarify the responsibilities of related organizations and individuals.
