Fire, explosion deaths in Vietnam surge in first 4 months

HO CHI MINH CITY, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,453 fires and explosions broke out across Vietnam between January and April this year, killing 54 people and injuring 141 others, the country's Fire Prevention and Fight Department said Sunday.

Meanwhile, the fires and explosions left losses of some 840 billion Vietnamese dong (37 million U.S. dollars).

In the same period last year, the Southeast Asian country suffered 1,687 fires and explosions, claiming 40 human lives and injuring 87 people, while causing losses of some 864 billion Vietnamese dong (38.1 million U.S. dollars).

Natural disasters killed three people and injured 17 others, and caused property losses of over 278 billion Vietnamese dong (12.2 million U.S. dollars) in the first four months of this year, said Vietnam's General Statistics Office. Enditem