Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences over the deaths caused by the Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reports.
Political parties fielding candidates in Hong Kong's upcoming Legislative Council election have announced a suspension in campaigning due to the ongoing fire.
The New People's Party and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong have announced the decision on social media while expressing their condolences for those who died and sharing support for affected residents.
The parties say they would suspend campaigning and called on all sectors of society to unify in support of those affected.
The latest pictures from the scene show both the scale of the emergency and the response as hundreds of firefighters work into the night in an effort to bring the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire under control.
The blaze broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a large housing complex in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, at 14:51 local time on Wednesday (06:51 GMT).
Wang Fuk Court consists of eight tower blocks, which are each 31-storeys high.
They provide 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, according to the 2021 government census.
Built in 1983, the tower blocks were undergoing renovations, and the outside of the buildings was covered in bamboo scaffolding. Footage shows the fire spreading quickly through the bamboo.
Tai Po District Councilor Li Man-kit tells BBC Chinese that at around 16:30 local time (08:30 GMT), the local community hall was opened for affected residents to register.
However, by about 18:30 local time, the Kwong Fuk Community Hall - closest to the fire and separated from Wang Fuk Court by a road - was deemed unsafe, and evacuees were moved to CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School for shelter.
Fellow councillor Mui Sui-fung adds that during the last few hours, they received numerous requests for help from residents reporting losing contact with family members.
“Many people sent us WhatsApp messages or called us, saying they still have relatives inside or can’t find them," Mui says.
At present, it remains unclear how many residents are still inside the buildings.
Tai Po District Councillor Mui Siu-fung tells BBC Chinese that Wang Fuk Court, the housing estate involved in the incident, comprises eight blocks - all currently undergoing major repairs. Seven of these blocks were affected by the fire, with external scaffolding severely damaged.
“The block where the fire first started - you could see flames inside through the windows,” he says. The remaining block did not catch fire, though Mui noted it initially had a small blaze “but firefighters immediately put it out from below, so that block didn’t burn".
He adds that firefighters are currently unable to enter the buildings safely to carry out search and rescue operations.
Mui said that around 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT), residents began evacuating gradually: “I think about 95% of the residents have already been evacuated, and three nearby public housing blocks have also been cleared.”
He notes that at one evacuation point near the fire scene - the Kwong Fuk Shopping Centre - there were roughly over a thousand residents.
The Home Affairs Department has since opened several community centres as temporary shelters, with some schools also made available for relocation.
Of the 13 people who have died, nine were declared dead at the scene, Chou Wing-yin of the Fire Services Department has told a press briefing.
Six others were sent to hospital in serious condition.
