Hanoi adjusts fireworks display again, tightens security

Hanoi authorities have again scaled down a fireworks display planned for Sunday, following a deadly explosion this week, Vietnamnet reported Saturday.

In the latest move, Nguyen The Thao, chairman of Hanoi’s People’s Committee ordered that the display will take place at My Dinh Stadium’s stand B only, instead of both stands B and A.

According to news website VnExpress, most VIP guests, including international delegates, will sit at stand A.

Capital authorities also asked police to set up security around the staging area at stand B, VnExpress said, adding that all security measures for the grand festival will be strengthened as well.

On Wednesday two containers carrying fireworks exploded at the stadium, killing four people – one Singaporean and two Germans, and a Vietnamese.

The incident, according to Hanoi’s Police Department Director Nguyen Duc Nhanh, was caused by “mistakes” during transportation.

Two days after the explosion, Hanoi's committee of the Party announced that the city would cancel fireworks displays at 29 points around the city, except for My Dinh Stadium.

According to the committee, all the funds assigned for the country’s biggest-ever fireworks display, were instead sent to aid flood victims in the central region.

Asked about the possibility of saving money for flooded areas, considering all fireworks have already been imported from foreign countries, Municipal Party Committee Secretary Pham Quang Nghi told Vietnamnet that all fireworks, except for those planned at the stadium, were produced locally.

The city is also saving money by not buying more fireworks from other countries to make up for the loss after the explosion, he stressed.

In fact, municipal authorities have ordered the Hanoi International Manpower Supply and Trade Company Limited (Interserco) to buy new fireworks from Z212 Factory under the Ministry of National Defense, Vietnamnet reported.

Hanoi is also stepping up its fundraising efforts for flood victims in the central region, Nghi added.

So far, the city has sent VND5 billion (US$256,476) to affected provinces, according to Tuoi Tre.

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Hanoi cancels firework displays on millennial anniversary

Hanoi's committee of the Party Friday cancelled firework displays planned at 28 of the 29 spots for the city’s millennial anniversary this weekend, VnExpress reported.

Now the display will be held at My Dinh Stadium only, the news source said.

According to the committee, all funds set aside for the Sunday display, which was expected to be the biggest ever in Vietnam will be sent in aids to central provinces hit by floods last week.

Also Friday the capital began raising donations for the flood victims, the news website said, adding that so far, Hanoi has donated VND1 billion (US$51,289) to each of them.

The latest reports from the Central Committees of Storm and Flood Control showed that at least 52 people have died in floods, while property losses were estimated at thousands of billions of dong.

The city’s Party committee made the announcement four days after two containers carrying fireworks exploded at My Dinh Stadium, killing four and injuring another four.

The incident, according to Nguyen Duc Nhanh, director of Hanoi Police Department, was caused by “mistakes” during transportation.  

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Four die in fireworks explosion

Four people were killed and three others injured when two containers of fireworks exploded at My Dinh Stadium before Hanoi’s 1,000th birthday ceremony.

The incident happened at around 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday (October 6) during the capital’s millennial celebrations from October 1 to 10.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Nhanh, director of Hanoi Police Department, told Vietnam News Agency on the same day that the fire was caused by “mistakes” made during transportation.

He said eight fire trucks were sent to the site to put out the fire while injured people were brought to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

A Tuoi Tre reporter arrived at the scene around 10 minutes after the accident to find all the makeshift tents in My Dinh Stadium had burnt down and a nearby lawn on fire.

Thanh Minh, a bus driver leading a group of foreign tourists on a guided tour at the time, said he was standing some 200 meters the site when his bus’s windows shattered. He suffered from minor burns on his back and hand, he told the paper.

The explosion sent metal debris flying and windows shattered at the Vietnam Sports Hospital and apartment blocks about 200 meters from the blast, AFP reported.

A woman who lives on the sixth floor of an apartment building in the area told the newswire that she was cooking when she heard “big explosions” and rushed to her balcony where she saw a plume of white smoke.

“The smoke was not like when someone burns something. Many people rushed down to the street to watch. The smoke came from the stadium area. There were about six or seven explosions,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous.

Lt Gen Nhanh said the explosive was an “unfortunate accident but it would not affect the work of ensuring security during the Thang Long – Hanoi’s 1,000th birthday.”

On late Wednesday, the spokesman for the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in response to media queries over whether a Singaporean national was among the victims.

“An explosion occurred in the vicinity of the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi. The Singapore Embassy in Hanoi is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with the local authorities,” the statement said.

“Local authorities have informed the embassy that a Singaporean woman could be one of four fatalities. The embassy is working to verify this, and to ascertain if any other Singaporeans are affected,” it added.

The containers in question are among three with fireworks inside due to be set off at My Dinh Stadium in a display on Sunday, the final day of the millennium celebrations. They were imported from Italy, the US and China by Hanoi International Manpower Supply and Trade Company Limited (INTERSERCO).

The fireworks display at My Dinh Stadium was designed to be the first in a series of 28 at various spots around the city. It was supposed to be the biggest-ever fireworks display in the country.

The ceremony will go ahead as planned on Sunday.

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