About 150 people were left trapped on the roof of Hong Kong’s World Trade Centre after a major fire broke out.
The blaze started to rip through the 39-storey skyscraper, which houses both offices and a mall in the commercial and shopping district of Causeway Bay, early on Wednesday afternoon.
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A firefighter rescues people trapped in a fire that broke out at the World Trade Centre in Hong Kong
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Rescue workers evacuate people from the site
Authorities said the fire was brought under control by 3.06pm (7.06am GMT).
In an update at 3.39pm local time, they said twelve people had been sent to hospital for treatment.
Hong Kong’s government said firefighters battled the fire with two water jets and had deployed breathing apparatus.
Firefighters also used an extendable ladder to rescue several people who were trapped on the lower floors of the building.
Local media reported that the fire broke out in a utility room on a lower level of the shopping mall at noon before spreading to bamboo scaffolding surrounding the block.
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A firefighter rescues a victim trapped in the building
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Firefighters operate an extendable ladder to rescue people trapped
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
During the incident, the blaze was upgraded to level three on a scale of one to five.
The emergency services cordoned off the area and halted traffic on some major roads next to the building.
