The death toll from a fire that tore through a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam has risen to 32, state media reported on Wednesday.

The blaze engulfed the second floor of the building on Tuesday night, trapping customers and staff as dense smoke filled the staircase and blocked the emergency exit, reports said.

Many crowded onto a balcony to escape the flames, which grew quickly as they caught the wooden interior, while others were forced to jump from the building, state media said.

Photos showed plumes of smoke billowing out of the bar – located in a crowded residential neighborhood in Thuan An city, north of commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City in Binh Duong province – as firefighters on cranes tried to extinguish the blaze.