At least 13 people have died after a raging fire tore through several high-rise blocks in a Hong Kong residential estate on Wednesday, a government official said.

"The Fire Services Department handled a total of 28 casualties, nine of whom were certified dead at the scene. Six others were sent to hospital in serious condition, and four of them later died," Chou Wing-yin of the Fire Services Department told a press briefing at around 8:15 pm (1215 GMT).