HONG KONG: About 150 people were trapped on the roof of Hong Kong's World Trade Centre on Wednesday after a fire broke out in the building located in the bustling commercial and shopping district of Causeway Bay, police said.

Firefighters were battling the blaze with two water jets, the government said, employing ladders and breathing apparatus in the effort to rescue those trapped.

Broadcaster RTHK quoted police as saying about 100 people moved from a restaurant to the 39th floor when the fire broke out and smoke filled the dining area.

Seven women and a man were among the eight people taken to hospital, one of them semi-conscious, police said.

Outside the building, the scene was calm after firefighters cordoned off the area.