Queen visits London fire volunteers

Semira Mohammed, 37, a science technician who lives nearby, said she knew a family of five who lived on the 21 floor of the block.

He said that number was expected to rise and firefighters have said they did not expect to find any more survivors after rescuing 65.

Labour MP David Lammy has called the fire "corporate manslaughter" for the role of landlord negligence. But the posters bearing photos of children in bike helmets, young mothers and entire families testified to the fact that many remain missing. Those who escaped were offered housing overnight.

Half of the 30 people who are still receiving hospital treatment are critically ill.

Residents and victims have expressed outrage at Prime Minister Theresa May, who visited the site the day before without meeting with local residents.

The fire in the block in west London burned for hours, and authorities fear that the official death toll of 30 is likely to rise, with numerous dead unlikely ever to be identified.

"The severity and the heat of the fire will mean that it will be an absolute miracle for anyone to be left alive", she said as she indicated that the search operation could take weeks. She said she had attended the scene to get a briefing from the emergency services and had been "overwhelmed by their professionalism and their bravery".

The names of those who lost their lives are beginning to be made public.

"We need to know what happened, we need to have an explanation of this. They need answers to provide them with security and peace of mind". That's what it is, and there should be arrests made, frankly.

The building did not have a functioning sprinkler or alarm system, and many residents only woke up after hearing the shouts of people below. No one has said exactly where the fire started.

People are right to be angry at the Grenfell Tower "catastrophe", says the Sun. Her staff will remain on scene for "days to come" and that the search of the tower would be a "slow and painstaking process".

Firefighters are still searching for victims in the 24-story Grenfell Tower that went up in flames early Wednesday.

A fireman's ladder rests, amid the debris, against the tower block that was destroyed in a fire disaster, in north Kensington, West London, Britain June 15, 2017.

The renovation project included installation of insulated exterior cladding, double-glazed windows and a communal heating system.

Residents had complained about safety for several years.

London's fire commissioner says that firefighters have been traumatized by the devastation they witnessed during a high-rise apartment blaze that killed at least 12 people.

Grenfell Tower, built in 1974, was recently refurbished at a cost of £8.6 million, with work completed in May past year.

They issued a statement which read: "It is a truly terrifying thought but the Grenfell Action Group firmly believe that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord, the KCTMO". We will cooperate fully with all the relevant authorities in order to ascertain the cause of this tragedy. We were from the same community, and many in the tower were. "We always take all concerns seriously and these will form part of our forthcoming investigations".

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said a ruptured gas main in the block had to be isolated before fire crews were able to put the blaze out and bring it under control by 1.14am.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze, the worst in the British capital in a generation, was underway. - Reuters picSmoke was still wafting out of the blackened shell of the Grenfell Tower on Thursday where specialist search teams faced hazardous conditions as they scoured the wreck, with external cladding still falling from the building.

Prime Minister Theresa May is speaking with survivors of the high-rise fire in which 30 people are confirmed to have died.

Locals yelled questions at Mayor Sadiq Khan as he walked through the west London neighbourhood.

Gilmartin said fire design has evolved over the years but it's not feasible to make all older buildings comply with the latest legislation.

According to the Times of London, the cladding's manufacturer said its use is banned in the U.S. on high-rise buildings "because of the fire and smoke spread".

"It is considered that occupants are safer in their dwelling than coming out into potentially smoke logged corridors", he said.

More than?480,000 had been raised online for the victims by early Thursday, while local community centres were inundated by donations of clothes and food. Dozens of others have been hospitalized.

Corbyn met volunteers who have been working at the church as well as families who were sheltering inside.