HO CHI MINH CITY, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,687 fires and explosions broke out across Vietnam between January and April, killing 40 people and injuring 87 others, while causing losses of some 864 billion Vietnamese dong (38.7 million U.S. dollars).
Compared with the same period last year, the number of fires and explosions surged by 37.8 percent, and that of deaths nearly doubled, while that of injuries dropped by 22.3 percent.
The amount of losses increased by 36.1 percent, Vietnam's Fire Prevention and Fight Department said Sunday.
Natural disasters killed two people and injured 13 others, and caused property losses of over 213 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 9.6 million U.S. dollars) in the first four months of this year, said Vietnam's General Statistics Office.
