Emergency evacuation of people living around Hai Duong Trade Center

On the morning of September 18, loudspeakers announced an emergency evacuation order for households around the Hai Duong Trade Center, while part of the building had collapsed. The evacuation decision was announced by the Hai Duong City People's Committee early this morning, according to which hundreds of households around the Trade Center must urgently evacuate to "ensure the safety of life and property".

The households that had to be evacuated all had solid, high-rise houses adjacent to the back and right side of the Trade Center. The police and authorities of Le Thanh Nghi and Tran Phu wards were ordered to immediately propagate and mobilize people to evacuate. If they did not cooperate, they would be forced to do so.

According to observations at the scene, throughout the morning of September 18, the authorities had completed the evacuation of households at the back of the Trade Center, but households on the right side (Mac Thi Buoi Street) had not yet been relocated. Evacuated households should contact their own temporary accommodation; in case there is no accommodation, the authorities will arrange accommodation within the ward.

Meanwhile, the central building has fallen walls and ceilings in some places. However, according to Hai Duong newspaper, the authorities have reached the third floor of the shopping center and discovered that some kiosks have not been burned down by the fire. The third floor is where the clothing stores are located, the kiosks are still intact, with no signs of fire damage.

Many kiosks on the 3rd floor of Hai Duong Trade Center were not burned.
Photo: Hai Duong.

Also this morning, at the headquarters of the People's Committee of Le Thanh Nghi Ward, the city government began handing out 13 million VND in support to small traders operating in the commercial center. Due to the large number of small traders, the handover is expected to last until the end of the afternoon.

Earlier, on the morning of September 17, experts from the Institute of Criminal Science (Ministry of Public Security) were present at the scene of the fire. The first area where the fire broke out was carefully inspected. This is where the fabric kiosk on the first floor was located, where the security team said they had discovered the fire. It is expected that the Institute of Criminal Science will work in Hai Duong for 2-3 days to find the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, the State Appraisal Department of Construction Quality, after inspecting the Hai Duong Trade Center site, determined that the structure was severely damaged, the protective concrete layer was separated from the steel reinforcement, some beams were sagging, and the building was at high risk of collapse.

Director Le Quang Hung warned that if the building collapses, the area of ​​impact could be several hundred meters away, affecting surrounding structures.

According to (Vnexpress) - KN