At least two fire fighters are dead and 18 others are missing after a blaze in Hengyang City, central-south China's Hunan Province, early Monday morning, local officials said.

The fire broke out in an eight-storey building in Zhuhui district at about 5 a.m., forcing more than 400 residents to evacuate promptly, they said.

The blaze toppled parts of the building, killing a fire fighter and an officer, and trapping 18 other fire fighters.

The fire was extinguished and the search for the trapped fire fighters in continuing.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2003)