REPORT: Fire engulfs London tower block, at least 12 dead, dozens injured

A blaze engulfed a 24-storey housing block in central London on Wednesday, trapping residents as they slept and killing at least 12 people in an inferno that the fire brigade said was unprecedented in its scale and speed.

More than 200 firefighters, backed up by 40 fire engines, fought for hours to try to control the blaze, London's deadliest in a generation. The Grenfell Tower apartment block was home to about 600 people.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the fire raised questions about the safety of such high-rise blocks, and the BBC reported that the scale of the disaster could delay Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement of a parliamentary deal to stay in power.

Some residents screamed for help from behind upper-floor windows, others tried to throw children to safety, as flames raced through the block of about 120 apartments in the North Kensington district just before 1 a.m.

Firefighters said they had rescued 65 people - some in pyjamas - from the 43-year-old block, a low-rent housing estate overlooking upscale parts of the Kensington area.

"We could see a lot of children and parents screaming for 'Help! Help! Help!' and putting their hands on the window and asking to help them," Amina Sharif told Reuters.

"We could do nothing and we could see the stuff on the side was falling off, collapsing. We were just standing screaming and they were screaming."