Shanghai | Hong Kong was plunged into its third day of chaos on Wednesday as riot police stormed the city's central business district at lunchtime to break up protests, while public transport networks ground to a halt and some schools and banks closed.

There were also reports of mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong fleeing the city as tensions escalated. The campus of one major university was turned into a battleground overnight as police and protesters exchanged tear gas and petrol bombs.