Smoke billows from a fire that engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14, 2017. (AP Photo)
London: At least 12 people perished on Wednesday after a massive inferno tore through a London apartment block, with witnesses reporting terrified residents had leapt from the tower and dropped their children in a desperate bid for survival.
As smoke continued to billow from the gutted building, survivors voiced anger over longstanding safety fears at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, which was home to between 600 and 800 people.
Parents wrapped wet towels around their children as they tried to escape, while others were seen desperately waving for help from the higher floors, which firefighters could not reach as the blaze took hold.
"There are now 12 people that have died that we know of," police commander Stuart Cundy said at the scene.
"I do anticipate that the number of fatalities will sadly increase," he said, adding that he did not expect fire crews hunting through the debris to find any survivors.
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