Hong Kong contains fire that trapped 150 people in World Trade Centre

Hong Kong firefighters had contained a blaze that broke out on Wednesday (December 15) in the city's World Trade Centre, trapping about 150 people on its roof, police and the fire department said.

Police told Reuters 13 people were taken to hospital, one of them semi-conscious.

The fire was extinguished at 1630 hours (0830 GMT), a fire department officer said at a news conference, describing a smoke-clogged scene when the crews arrived on site.

The 39-floor World Trade Centre is home to restaurants, offices and shops in the bustling Causeway Bay commercial and shopping district. The fire broke out in a utility room on a lower level of the building's mall at noon, media said, before it spread to bamboo scaffolding cladding the exterior.