The death toll from the devastating tower block fire in west London is expected to rise as investigators trawl through the wreckage in the search for other victims.
At least 12 people have died after the huge fire destroyed Grenfell Tower in north Kensington, where flames could still be seen burning almost 24 hours after the blaze started early on Wednesday.
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Prime Minister Theresa May has promised a "proper investigation" after the fire tore through the 24-storey building amid growing concerns about how the fire could have spread so rapidly.
Speaking in Downing Street, May said: "When it's possible to identify the cause of this fire, then of course there will be proper investigation and if there are any lessons to be learnt they will be and action will be taken."
PHOTOS: Deadly blaze rips through London apartment building
A photographer takes photos as smoke continues to rise from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London. Photo / Getty Images
Many people are unaccounted for and firefighters are continuing to tackle "pockets of fire", with the operation now in the "recovery phase".
Commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan Police said: "This is going to be a long and complex recovery operation and I do anticipate that the number of fatalities will sadly increase beyond those 12."
Residents' groups have claimed they voiced concerns about the safety of the building, which had been recently refurbished, while those who escaped complained their fire alarms had not been set off by the blaze.
Policing and Fire minister Nick Hurd said emergency checks would be carried out on tower blocks undergoing similar renovations.
Grenfell Tower, which built in 1974, was refurbished at a cost of STG8.7 million, with work completed in May 2016.
Kensington and Chelsea Council admitted it had received complaints over the works after an action group said its warnings about safety had fallen on deaf ears.
A blog post from Grenfell Action Group in November said "only a catastrophic event" would expose residents' concerns.
The group said there was one entry and exit to the tower during improvement works and it had issues with evacuation procedures.
Concerns had also been raised about exposed gas pipes weeks before the blaze.
Smoke and flames rise from the building. Photo / AP
Rydon Group, which that carried out the refurbishment, said the project "met all required building regulations".
But a line stating the project had met all "fire regulation and health and safety standards", which was included in an earlier release, had disappeared.
Witnesses described hearing screams for help from people trapped on the upper floors of the block as flames engulfed the building, which contains 120 flats thought to be home to between 400 and 600 people.
Children and a baby were seen being thrown out of the windows to be caught by emergency workers and members of the public below.
London Fire Brigade said it had rescued 65 people as flames engulfed the block and had managed to reach all 24 floors, though a full search of the building had not been completed.
NHS England said 74 patients were treated in six hospitals across London, including 18 who are in critical care.
Dozens of people gathered for a vigil on Wednesday night in the shadow of the tower as the sun began to set.
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