By Lee Jia Xin
A SINGAPOREAN woman could be among one of the three foreigners
and a Vietnamese killed in a fireworks explosion during
preparations for Hanoi's showcase millennium celebrations on
Wednesday.
A spokeman for the Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said
its embassy had been informed by local authorities in Hanoi of the
Singaporean feared dead.
The nationalities of the foreigners could not be officially
confirmed,
The explosion occurred when fireworks intended for Hanoi's
upcoming 1000th birthday celebration exploded prematurely.
The blast occurred at My Dinh stadium, one of 29 sites in the
capital where fireworks were planned for Sunday's anniversary
bash.
A YouTube video posted online showed a close-up shot of smoke
and ash shooting above the stadium.
Hanoi has spent millions of dollars this year sprucing up the
city for the grand celebration, which will include a parade of
30,000 people.
The fireworks display was expected to be the event's grand
finale, involving water screens and lasers at the stadium to tell
the story of Hanoi's history.
