Hong Kong - Hong Kong share prices plunged 6.1 per cent at the opening of trading Tuesday as the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers sent global markets into freefall.

By 10:30 am the Hang Seng Index was down 6.4 per cent at 18,098 - almost 14,000 lower than its peak of just below 32,000 points in late October last year.

Earlier Tuesday, Hong Kong financial secretary John Tsang urged the public not to panic after 158-year-old Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in the United States.

Tang assured investors that Hong Kong had adequate market regulators to ensure trading would be conducted in an orderly manner and called on investors not to worry.

He said the government and relevant authorities including the Monetary Authority would be closely watching the developments of Lehman Brothers. (dpa)