At least 14 people died after a fire broke out at an apartment in Hanoi city on Friday, media reports said.

Visuals on the social media sites showed a dark cloud of smoke billowing out of the building which is located in a densely populated area.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control within 10 minutes, and it was completely extinguished at 1.26am, reported Vietnam News.

According to reports, seven people were recovered from the scene.

Twenty-four people were reportedly present in the building when the fire broke out.

Ngo Thi Thuy, 40, a neighbour, told VPN News: "What hit me was something I had never seen before. Fire was burning furiously through gaps of the corrugated iron roof, and the engulfing smoke made it hard to see anything. There were explosions along with screams for help from the burning house as well as nearby houses."