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A horrific blaze which ripped through an entire tower block in Kensington has claimed at least 12 lives.

One local community leader said "nobody who lived on the top three floors survived" and Mirror reporter Andy Lines said he witnessed scenes today that are "reminiscent of 9/11".

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the fire, which broke out at Grenfell Tower in the early hours of this morning, was "on a scale not seen before".

Around 60 people were rushed to six hospitals across London and scores of people are still missing.

As debris continued to tumble from the building, one witness described seeing a "child on fire" jump from the 22nd floor as the blaze took hold.

Another, who lost friends in the inferno, broke down in tears during a TV interview and said: "We saw a lot. We saw a lot."

(Image: AFP)

(Image: PA)

(Image: AFP)

(Image: PA)

The last fire in London to claim more fatalities than Grenfell Tower was the Kings Cross London Underground blaze in 1987.

The cause of this morning's inferno is also still not known - as fire chiefs claimed the blaze was "unprecedented" in modern times, not least in terms of the speed it spread.

Workers in white overalls and suited men from funeral companies were spotted removing bodies from the scene in west London this afternoon.

Fire chiefs revealed they have made it to the top of the building - and have searched most of the flats but are now using drones because the tower's "structural integrity" is a concern.

They say they do not expect to find any more survivors at this stage.

(Image: SWNS.com) (Image: London News Pictures Ltd)

In their latest update, London Ambulance Service said it had taken 68 injured to six London hospitals - on top of the 10 people who made their own way there - of which 18 are listed as 'critical'.

Residents of the 70s tower block are claiming they were previously told to stay inside the building in the event of a fire - and some are known to have believed it to be safer than escaping via stairwells that were thick with smoke.

In chaotic scenes, some parents were forced to throw their young children to safety from several flights up.

A nurse who treated the injured at the scene said people were "spitting out black tar that had gone on their lungs".

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Some were spotted screaming for help from windows - waving torches to get the attention of firefighters - while others used knotted bedsheets to try to escape.

At least one person was spotted falling from a window as the first fire engine arrived at around 1am - while another trapped woman was spotted holding her baby out of another window.

Others, dressed in their nightclothes, say they stepped over dead bodies in their bid to escape - while one man was seen jumping with a 'makeshift parachute'.

(Image: AFP) (Image: SWNS.com)

People were still being rescued from the tower 12 hours after the blaze broke out just before 1am.

Emergency accommodation has been provided to 44 households affected by the Grenfell Tower fire, the local council has said.

Families with young children, elderly residents and those who are vulnerable have been given "immediate priority", according to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) Council.

(Image: PA)

(Image: REUTERS)

Council leader Nick Paget-Brown said: "This is a terrible day for Kensington and Chelsea and we are doing all we can to support the victims and their families.

"At present all our focus has to be on supporting the rescue and relief operation. But the cause of the fire will need to be fully investigated and we will keep people informed."

A council spokesman also thanked people who made "generous donations of food, clothing and other items", but added: "We would ask you to please hold off for now as we have been inundated with useful items.

"When we need donations again we will update via our website and social media."

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Hundreds of concerned local people turned out to help victims of the horrific blaze.

The Maxilla Social Club was turned into an impromptu donation drop-in centre at 2am and it has been flooded with people taking clothes, bedding and food.

Meanwhile, a former council worker said penny pinching was to blame for the blaze.

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The woman, who worked as a property manager for Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council for 20 years, said the deadly fire could have been prevented if the council had spend money upgrading it.

But Grenfell Tower, run by Tenant Management Organisation for the council, was not modernised during the employee's two decades working in the property area of the authority.

She said fire alarms often did not work and a new external fire escape was not installed because it would cost too much.

She claimed new cladding fitted to the outside of the building last year caused the blaze to rip through the block because substandard and cheap materials were used in an effort to save cash.

(Image: EPA) (Image: AFP)

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton earlier told reporters: "This is an unprecedented incident. In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never ever seen anything of this scale."

Prime Minister Theresa May was said to be "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life" and newly appointed police and fire minister Nick Hurd will chair a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat to co-ordinate the response.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said "searching questions" need to be asked about what happened, suggesting spending cuts could have contributed to the deadly fire.

He said: "If you deny local authorities the funding they need, then there is a price that's paid."

(Image: AFP) (Image: Barcroft Media) (Image: REUTERS)

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

Rydon, the firm that carried it out, said its work "met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "There will be a great many questions over the coming days as to the cause of this tragedy and I want to reassure Londoners that we will get all the answers."

Nick Paget-Brown, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Borough, said: "Clearly, looking further ahead there needs to be a full investigation into the cause of this fire, why it started and why it appears to have spread so rapidly."

The Metropolitan Police have set up a casualty bureau for anyone concerned about their friends and family on 0800 0961 233.