The aftermath of HCMC’s Circle K store collapse

Rescuers enter the collapsed Circle K store in HCMC's District 4, hoping to find survivors in the rubble.

One floor of the store was being used as storage, for both goods as well as tables and chairs. After the collapse, the room was inaccessible.

Rescuers had to pump oxygen inside the space and remove steel structures to find victims.

At 9:45 a.m., a 9th grade customer was found unconscious at the site and with multiple wounds. She later died.

Hung Nguyen Thuan, deputy head of the rescue team, said the store stocked too many Tet goods on the first floor, leading to the collapse. When the collapse happened, there were nine people on the ground floor, he added.

Rescuers remove goods and steel frames from the store on Vinh Hoi Street.

Pieces of rubble are removed from the wreckage.

Rescuers prepare equipment to rescue those still trapped inside.

Nguyen Duy Long, director of the HCMC 115 Emergency Center, said seven ambulances had been dispatched to provide medical help. Three of them belong to the center, while the others belong to Saigon Hospital and District 4 Hospital.

At 11:15 a.m., officers were still carrying goods and other objects out of the store.

Traffic police direct traffic on Vinh Hoi Street. Several ambulances were parked at the location, ready to treat victims at the collapsed store.

Eight mildly injured victims were rescued from the store and received first-aid. The deceased 9th grader, however, had already stopped breathing when she reached the hospital.

Onlookers watch the aftermath of the collapse.