Fire breaks out at Hong Kong World Trade Centre, trapping hundreds inside

Hundreds of people were trapped on the rooftop of a Hong Kong skyscraper after a major fire broke out as firefighters rushed to rescue them and put out the blaze.

Local paper South China Morning Post reported 300 people were trapped on the roof of the building on Wednesday while authorities said at least 12 people were sent to hospital for treatment.

Tens of people trapped in the building had jammed into narrow areas on an open-air podium on the fifth floor, peering over the edge as they awaited rescue.

Preliminary investigations by the police suggested that the fire had broken out in the electrical switch room located on the first floor of the shopping mall, before spreading to the scaffolding that surrounded part of the building, according to South China Morning Post.

Firefighters had used an extendable ladder to rescue the people on the fifth floor. Other people were said to be trapped in restaurants in the mall, added the local newspaper.

A total of about 1,200 people were evacuated from the building, according to local media reports.

As of 3:06 pm (0700 GMT), authorities said the fire was under control.

The blaze was upgraded to a level 3 incident on a scale of one to five.

The scene outside the World Trade Centre was calm after firefighters cordoned off the area.

The shopping centre has been undergoing massive renovation works for several months, according to SCMP. 

All the shops had been vacated due to renovation, only restaurants between the sixth and 13th floors, as well as office space between the 14th and 38th floors, were still in operation.