A court in Vietnam on Wednesday jailed six people including four police officers over a fire that ripped through a karaoke bar two years ago, killing 32 people. The blaze in a province close to business hub Ho Chi Minh City shocked Vietnam and led to the closure of thousands of karaoke bars nationwide for failing to meet fire regulations.

The court in southern Binh Duong province convicted the bar owner, a contractor involved in its construction and four police officers on charges of breaching fire regulations and negligence.Bar owner Le Anh Xuan was given eight years in jail, while the bar’s fire prevention system contractor was sentenced to five years.
Four police officers were jailed for between four and seven and half years.

In his final words before court last week, bar owner Le Anh Xuan apologized to victims and their families, saying “my mistakes had caused huge losses”. Flames engulfed the second floor of the 30-room An Phu karaoke building in Binh Duong in September 2022, trapping customers and staff as dense smoke filled the staircase and blocked the emergency exit.

Many crowded onto a balcony to escape the flames, which spread quickly through the wooden interior, while others were forced to jump from the building. A total of 32 people died in the inferno, 17 men and 15 women. The police officers were charged for their involvement in designing and approving the fire prevention system at the bar.

Vietnam regularly experiences deadly fires – 56 people were killed in a Hanoi apartment disaster last year – and the Binh Duong blaze prompted a nationwide crackdown on karaoke bars that failed to comply with fire regulations. More than two-thirds of the country’s approximately 15,000 karaoke bars were forced to close, according to state media, citing police sources.