The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals as firefighters battled to put out the blaze in the Mong Kok area of Kowloon, police spokeswoman Candice Sui said. [break]
"As far as we know eight people were found dead in the fire and 24 people were injured," she said.
The cause of the fire was unknown and an investigation was under way. A hot line had been set up to help people search for missing or injured loved ones.
A government spokeswoman said the blaze broke out at a street hawker´s booth around 4:40 am and quickly spread through the residential complex.
"Eight charred bodies were found at the site," she said.
Officials could not immediately confirm local media reports that the building had been subdivided into small living spaces known as cubicles or cage homes, which are often associated with fire risks.
A fire at a subdivided apartment building in Kowloon killed four people earlier this year, prompting calls from some lawmakers for a ban on cubicle flats.
But Chief Executive Donald Tsang rejected the calls, acknowledging that rocketing apartment prices had forced many residents to live in overcrowded buildings.
"Undoubtedly ´sub-divided units´ pose risks for building safety, but they do provide accommodation for low-income people not eligible for public housing," he said in an October policy address.
"Banning ´sub-divided units´ across the board is therefore not a solution."
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