SURVIVORS of the tower block inferno stumbled over bodies as they desperately fought their way through black smoke to escape down the stairwell.

Dozens of residents at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, West London, are feared dead — weeks after a £10million refurbishment of the block that developers said was safe.

69 Fires are STILL burning at the tower a day after the deadly blaze ripped through the 24-storey residential building Credit: Splash News

69 The tower block had been reduced to a burnt-out carcass by this morning Credit: PA:Press Association

69 Firefighters are still trying to extinguish the blaze which broke out just before 1am Credit: PA:Press Association

Fierce flames could be seen for miles as the 24-storey building burnt through the night Credit: Eyevine

69 At least 12 people have been killed following a huge fire at Grenfell Tower in west London Credit: Getty Images

69 A further 68 are in hospital with 18 in a critical condition Credit: Getty Images

69 Grenfell Tower in Kensington, West London, looked like a scene from hell as a fire ripped through the building in the early hours of morning Credit: London News Pictures

Those who were lucky enough to make it out alive have revealed their horror at discovering their only escape route was "littered" with bodies.

Describing his family's dramatic escape, survivor Marcio said: “As soon as we opened the door all the smoke came in.

“But at that time we had no choice because the fire started coming in through the windows.

“We had to go down the stairs from the 21st floor.

“You couldn’t see anything. We had to step over bodies with my young daughters and my seven months pregnant wife."

69 A distraught woman falls to her knees as she watches the tower go up in flames, as others comfort her

69 The fire tore through the flat killing at least 12 Credit: Eyevine

It is believed virtually all the residents in the top three floors of Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, West London, perished in the devastating fire, which burned at over 1,000C (1,800F).

The death toll stood at 12 last night but was expected to rise. A further 74 victims, 18 of them critical, are being treated at six hospitals.

Firefighter fighters are removing bodies and said they do not expect to find anyone else alive - as desperate families search for their missing loved ones.

It emerged that the blaze spread through external cladding fitted to thousands more UK buildings after warnings fell on deaf ears.

69 The aftermath of the fire shows the devastation caused Credit: PA:Press Association

69 Emergency services have been working through the night to recover bodies Credit: PA:Press Association

At least 12 people have been killed and 18 more are fighting for their lives, including babies and young children left in comas.

Desperate residents were seen flinging themselves from the building, jumping to their deaths as they tried to escape being burnt alive.

A baby was caught after being thrown from the ninth floor, while some frantic residents lashed bedsheets together in a crude attempt to escape the rapidly growing blaze.

Harrowing pictures show shadows of residents trapped inside their homes, as witnesses heard people screaming for help as they leaned out of their windows.

Horrified witnesses told how they saw some families throwing children out of windows in scenes "reminiscent of 9/11".

Friends of missing residents - who had been told to stay put in their flats by firefighters - described how messages from their loved ones became increasingly desperate as the flames ravaged the building.

A mum sent a harrowing video message to her best friend crying “forgive me everyone, goodbye” while trapped on the 23rd floor.

69 Desperate residents jumped from the tower block to escape the flames Credit: Eyevine

69 Firefighters are still extinguishing fire in parts of the building this evening Credit: Getty Images

Another resident is believed to have sent a Snapchat from inside the burning tower block telling friends: “Guys I can’t get out”.

Denise Bloomfield, 37, who was evacuated from a nearby flat, said: "You could feel the heat from where you were standing. It was scary. It was like watching a movie.

"People were like zombies in their pyjamas. It was just not real."

She added: "There were people who were just surviving ... and waiting for the fire to take them, just waiting to die."

A distraught mum lost her 12-year-old daughter after accidentally letting go of her hand as they tried to escape down the pitch black stairwell.

Firefighters rescued 65 people from the block, but a local community leader said they are working with a missing list of "possibly hundreds".

The committee member, who asked not to be named, said: "I have been told that anyone past the 21st floor did not make it.

"The firefighters told them to stay where they were.

69 A poster appealing for information about artist Khadija Saye, who is missing after the fire Credit: Getty Images

69 Debris falls from the burning building as 200 firefighters battled to stop it Credit: Getty Images

Witness Judith Blakeman, who lives opposite the tower, rushed outside when she heard about the blaze at 5am.

She said: "Neighbours had been watching it all night, they said the cladding went up like a nightdress by a fire - it just went whoosh."

Questions are now being asked about the cladding, with suggestions it may have been installed to improve the appearance of the tower block for wealthy residents living nearby.

Planning papers said "changes to the existing tower will improve its appearance especially when viewed from the surrounding area".

"There is a family of three who live quite high up, a heavily pregnant wife, husband and two little girls aged ten and 11."

There is no official confirmation of how the blaze started but one witness claimed it sparked after his neighbour's fridge exploded.

Celebrities such as Rita Ora and Jamie Oliver joined ordinary Londoners in an extraordinary effort to provide food, clothes, cash and shelter for the survivors.

What we know so far:

Westway Sports Centre has turned into a refuge for residents - with gymnastic mats laid out on the floor of its main hall.

Peter Boulton, 61, spent the night there with around 30 others after being evacuated from Treadgold House in the early hours of Wednesday.

He said: "We were all evacuated at about 2.30am.

"I just sat on the pavement yesterday - I didn't know where anyone went.

Evacuated residents spend the night at Westway Sports Centre on gymnastic mats Credit: Alamy

Generous members of the public have brought clothings and bedding to the centre for victims Credit: Alamy

"It was only at 4pm that I went to a church and found the centre - it was chaos.

"Hopefully we will be allowed back in today but until the engineer gets in there no one knows."

Mr Boulton, who has lived in the block for 15 years, added: "They spent such a lot of money and tarted up Grenfell but it seemed to be plastic and seemed to be flammable.

"I've never seen fire go up so quickly in my life. Within 20 minutes people from the 10th floor upwards didn't have a hope."

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69 The flames tore through the building as residents tried to avoid being burnt alive Credit: Eyevine

69 Huge plumes of smoke darkened the skies of West London as 12 people were confirmed dead Credit: Jason Hawkes

69 The wreckage outside Grenfell Tower after a fire tore through it Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

69 A woman clutches as piece of paper as she makes a phone call with a look of total despair etched across her face Credit: Getty Images

69 Kids at nearby schools were given face masks to protect them from the smoke and debris Credit: Getty Images

69 The gutted flats were still smoking through the morning as firefighters continue to battle the blaze Credit: PA:Press Association

Residents claim that the building was checked by the fire brigade as recently as Saturday.

Corinne Jones, who escaped with her partner from the 17th floor, told the BBC that a team from the fire service inspected the building over the weekend and gave advice, including remaining in the flat during a blaze.

Another resident saw a man catch a baby that was tossed from a ninth floor window.

She said: "She wrapped her baby in what seemed like a sheet or blanket and threw the young baby out of the window.

“A member of the public, a guy ran forward and just miraculously grabbed the baby at the right moment and then the shadow, I assume the mother, went backwards and that was the last we saw."

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Those who fled said that no fire alarm sounded, sprinklers failed and stairways were blocked in the building.

Theresa May said she was "deeply saddened" by the news.

The government has ordered checks at other tower blocks which are being refurbishment after fears recent building renovations could have contributed to the spread of the blaze.

The London Fire Brigade, which was on scene withing six minutes of the first 999 call, has confirmed there have been a number of fatalities.

69 Smoke hindered rescue efforts as fires continued to burn with families trapped throughout the building Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

69 Desperate residents could be seen waving from windows as the flames whipped up higher and higher with rooms filling with smoke Credit: Nigel Howard/Evening Standard/eyevine

69 Flames leaped out of the side of the building as the structure was engulfed by the inferno Credit: Getty Images

69 The blaze has so far seen 68 people rushed to five hospitals across the capital Credit: Greg Brennan

69 Churches nearby have offered sanctuary to those who have been forced to flee by the fire Credit: Ray Collins

69 Firemen could be seen inside the building as they try to clear the floors Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

69 A London Fire Brigade structural engineer confirmed the building was structurally sound and would not collapse Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

69 Donated blankets and clothes are collected outside on Latimer Road Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

69 Police from the Tactical Support Group were also at the scene of the fire Credit: EPA

69 The building, which still had some floors ablaze, was scorched and charred Credit: Getty Images

69 A fireman was seen looking tired and upset at the scene in west London this morning Credit: EPA

69 Bystanders looked distraught by the events unfolding in Kensington as many remain unaccounted for Credit: EPA

69 A person could be seen peering out of a window of the burning building in the early hours of this morning Credit: AP:Associated Press

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton described the situation as "unprecedented" calling it the largest scale fire she had seen in her 29 years of service.

Cotton later said a number of firefighters have been injured, but confirmed none of the injuries are life threatening.

NHS England said no details were available at present on the condition of people taken to hospital.

The five hospitals are St Mary's, Chelsea and Westminster, Royal Free, St Thomas' and King's College Hospital.

Sadiq Khan has also demanded an explanation as to why residents were told to stay in their flats in the event of a fire.

Construction firm Rydon, which completed an £8.6million refurbishment of Grenfell Tower in May 2016, said it is "shocked to hear of the devastating fire" adding that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards".

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They added: "We will co-operate with the relevant authorities and emergency services and fully support their inquiries into the causes of this fire at the appropriate time."

Kensington's new Labour MP Emma Dent Coad, who is a local councillor and a member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, said she had raised concerns with the authority about fire safety at tower blocks in the area.

"There have been a lot of concerns over the past few years on various fire issues," Ms Dent Coad told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I have brought it up quite a few times. The blocks are of a certain age.

"Some of them have been refurbished, some haven't, and we have an ageing population."

69 Fire rapidly spread through the building and quickly gutted it Credit: Greg Brennan

69 Thick black smoke was visible across London as the fire continued to burn after dawn Credit: AP:Associated Press

69 Fire has spread through the entire 24-storey building

69 Emergency services at the scene where the building, gutted by fire, is still shrouded in smoke

69 Rescuers head to the scene to try and free those still trapped inside Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

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There are 120 homes in the flat and the leader of the local council said "several hundred" would have been in the tower block when the blaze broke out.

Mahad Egal escaped from his flat on the fourth floor with his family, including two small children, just before 1am.

He was reduced to tears as he recounted the terrible events of the night on the Victoria Derbyshire show:

"The fire started on the fourth floor, my neighbour told me it was his fridge that exploded.

"We were one of the first 10 families who got out no later then 1.10am and at this point the fire was no higher than an average tree.

"At first it seemed it was controllable, but really quickly the fire started to rise as the cladding caught fire."

For updates as they happen follow the Sun Online's Live Blog on the Grenfell Tower blaze

69 The building has been completely ripped out by the blaze Credit: PA:Press Association

69 A structural engineer is currently on the scene assessing the situation amid reports the building is leaning to one side Credit: Getty Images

69 Distraught residents are sat on the pavement as their homes are torn apart by flames Credit: Barcroft Media

69 A man comforts a young boy at the scene as hundreds are evacuated amid fears for the building's stability

The fire brigade reportedly deployed foam matting around the base of the tower to cushion people's falls in a bid to save more lives

One woman with two young children was seen shouting for help from the eleventh floor.

Another man begged with the crowds below to help him as he waved his shirt out of the window.

Resident Tamara told BBC News: "We could hear people screaming 'Help me' so me and my brother, with some other people who live in the area, ran over to the estate to where you could still get underneath it and there were people just throwing their kids out saying 'Save my children'.

"The fire crew, ambulance and police couldn't do anything, they couldn't get in, and they were just telling them to stay where they are, and we'll come and get you. But things quickly escalated beyond measure and they couldn't go back in and get them.

"Within another 15 minutes the whole thing was up in flames and there were still people at their windows shouting 'Help me'. You could see the fire going into their houses and engulfing the last room that they were in."

69 Witnesses said they believed the fire started on the fourth floor of the building before engulfing the entire structure Credit: Rex Features

69 A resident from another building watches smoke billow into the sky as the sun rose over London

69 Two men hug within the security cordon following the fire Credit: Getty Images

Another witness, Samira, told BBC News: "It escalated really quickly. Around midnight the fire was only around the third floor and then, before you know it, the whole 23 floors of the building were all on fire and there were people screaming for help and throwing kids out.

"I think everyone felt really helpless because no-one could get to them. Everyone was really scared and they didn't know what to do and it was really sad to see. These are all people that we grew up with and people that we see every day, like our neighbours."

Tamara went on: "My brother has a lot of school friends who are still wondering if their friends have made it out, they haven't got in contact with them or heard anything. One of the girls lives on the top floor, which the police advised that if you were living on that floor that it is most likely that they haven't made it."

Samira added: "I saw people flying out of their balconies and windows. I saw a man who flew out of his window, I saw people screaming for help. We saw a lot of people jumping out that basically didn't make it.

"It was from the eighth floor and up, and that kind of floor you wouldn't really make it."

Dramatic footage captured on Sky showed a man being lifted from the building.

Fire officers were seen carrying the man to safety through a sea of debris.

69 A resident was carried from the debris by firefighters in dramatic footage captured by Sky News

A piece of homework fell from the cloud of smoke, devastating situation for 100s of local people #LadbrokeGrove #grenfeltower #GrenfellFire pic.twitter.com/0ljMsU8Aaa — Michael Cowan (@mrmikecowan) June 14, 2017

Tsigehana Asefeha, 63, has lived in the building opposite the tower block for 27 years and was evacuated last night.

She said: "Our neighbour came down and said there is smoke we just came out because we heard the children screaming 'help help' - it's really terrible. We saw children - they were doing CPR on one.

"I hope the people there are safe."

Burning debris was seen falling from the mammoth building and residents were seen in tears and wheeling belongings away in suitcases and trolleys.

Dana Ali, 30, said that her parents Maria, 51, and Khalid, 61 were were trapped in their flat on the tenth floor of the building.

After speaking to them on the phone she said: "They said they're in their living room, they're closing all the doors, they can't get out. They opened the main door and saw black smoke.

"They couldn't see anything so they closed the door back. And now I'm trying to call and they're not answering."

The building has been gutted by fire and is engulfed in "acrid" black smoke.

69 Police were still attempting to evacuate families after the fire started Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

69 The entire building was consumed with fire, though it is unclear where the blaze started Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

69 'Monumental blaze' engulfs Grenfell Tower in west London Credit: Anwar Belkhadir

69 Dozens of firemen gathered at the foot of the building as they continued work this morning Credit: Getty Images

69 Smoke could be seen drifting across the skies of London this morning from miles away Credit: London News Pictures

69 Fire crews on a cherry picker could be seen spraying water into the upper stories of the building Credit: London News Pictures

69 Residents in dressing gowns and pyjamas were being led away by police this morning looking visibly shaken Credit: Reuters

69 A helicopter circling over London showed smoke billowing into the sky as the sun rose Credit: Sky News

69 'Acrid' smoke from the building caused problems for rescuers and could be seen across the city Credit: Reuters

69 Fire crews were still working at the scene as authorities scramble to account for the 'hundreds' thought to have been in the building when the blaze struck Credit: London News Pictures

London mayor Sadiq Khan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's very distressing, not just for those of us watching as lay people, but also very distressing for the emergency services."

More than 100 police officers were on scene, alongside 100 medics and 250 firefighters, he said.

Pressed on reports that residents had been advised to stay inside their flats in the event of a fire, Mr Khan said: "Thankfully residents didn't stay in their flats and fled to safety.

"One of the concerns that we have is it's a 24-storey building but for obvious reasons, with the scale of the fire, our experts weren't able to reach all the way to the top, so of course these are questions that need to be answered as soon as possible."

#NorthKensington tower block fire declared major incident, crews working hard at scene ©@Natalie_Oxford For updates:https://t.co/Gy6gUYc4ML pic.twitter.com/079acRjt7W — London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 14, 2017

69 'Acrid' black smoke pours out of the building that has been gutted by fire Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

George Clarke, a BBC presenter who lives in the building, told Radio 5 Live he was "getting covered in ash" as he fled the fire.

"I'm 100 metres away and I'm absolutely covered in ash," he continued. "It's so heartbreaking, I've seen someone flashing their torches at the top level and they obviously can't get out."

69 Some of the firemen rested after a long night battling the flames Credit: London News Pictures

69 Smoke from the fire can be seen right across London Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

69 Fire stretches up the height of the 24-storey building

Khalid Sarang, 23, lives in neighbouring block and reported it was like "hell on earth".

"I have friends who live on the top floor and I can't get them on the phone.

"There is a family of four trapped up there now screaming.

"The first thing I heard were the screams and I came running out.

"It's like hell on earth."

69 Smoke billowing into the night sky as blaze guts the building Credit: JAMIE LORRIMAN

Jody Martin said he got to the scene as the first fire engine was arriving at Grenfell Tower.

He told the BBC: “I grabbed an axe from the fire truck, it looked like there was a bit of confusion about what to do.

“I ran around the building looking for a fire escape and couldn’t see any noticeable fire escapes around the building. A lot of debris falling down.

“I eventually gained entry onto the second floor, and once I got to the corridor I realised there was so much smoke there.”

He added that given the thickness of the smoke, he would be surprised if anyone could have left the building without assistance.

Jody said: “I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window ... hearing screams, I was yelling everyone to get down and they were saying, ‘We can’t leave our apartments, the smoke is too bad on the corridors.’"

The tower, built in 1974, recently underwent an £8.6m redevelopment, with some residents reporting most of the flaming debris falling from the structure was cladding added during that process.

Nick Paget-Brown, the leader of the Kensington and Chelsea council said: “Several hundred [people] would have been in there. It’s a question of establishing how many were in there at the time of the fire.”

Paget-Brown confirmed the building had been inspected last May following the refurbishment, and said he toured the building at the time.

He said: “I’m really not in any position to answer any questions about the structure.

69 A local action group claims to have made regular warnings about the safety of the building Credit: Anwar Belkhadir

69 Fire safety notice installed in Grenfell Tower earlier this year explaining the 'stay put' policy Credit: Grenfell Action Group

The Grenfell Action Group posted a blog in the aftermath of the fire saying they had "predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time."

In March, the group said that residents "had received no proper fire safety instructions". They also alleged that an announcement in a "regeneration newsletter" merely advised residents "to remain flats in the event of fire."

The long-standing resident's protest group said they had posted "numerous warnings in recent years about the very poor fire safety standards at Grenfell Tower", but that they "had fallen on deaf ears."

69 The fire is reported to have started shortly after 1am

69 Before the blaze ... The tower block contains 120 homes over 24 floors

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