HK shares extend losses to drop below 12,000 pts

HONG KONG, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares extended losses to slide 6.6 percent on Thursday, dragging the main index below 12,000 points for the first time in three weeks, as jitters over a long-lasting global recession battered financials and property counters.

At 0637 GMT, the benchmark Hang Seng Index .HSI was 829.98 points lower at 11,985.82, with stocks across the board notching up hefty losses.

The China Enterprises Index of top locally listed mainland Chinese firms .HSCE had fallen 7.3 percent to 6,015.68. (Reporting by Parvathy Ullatil; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)