At least five people have been killed and 34 injured after a fire in a mostly residential building in Hong Kong.
People inside the 16-storey building waved towels at windows in a desperate bid for rescue, local media reported, adding that the fire had started at a gym there.
The blaze in the New Lucky House in the Jordan neighbourhood was extinguished later in the morning, but police said people inside the building still were calling for help.
Firefighters had rushed to the scene after receiving a call about the fire at 7.53am local time, authorities said.
At least six of the injured were in serious condition, with one fighting for their life.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said he had instructed authorities to make an "all-out" effort to treat the injured, while different government departments were investigating the cause of the fire.
Around 150 people were evacuated to safety, the city's government said, while 40 people were sent to public hospitals.
The New Lucky House has 200 units and was built in 1964.
Eric Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration, said he was shocked and saddened by the blaze and pledged an investigation.
The blaze, rated three in the city's five-grade system, was brought under control by 8.54am (00.54GMT), an hour after fire services were alerted to the fire.
Firefighters were still battling on Wednesday to put out a separate massive blaze 15 hours after it erupted at a building site in the northern New Territories, a fire services spokesperson said, but no casualties were reported.
