Distraught mother searching for 12-year-old daughter after accidentally letting go of her hand while escaping down pitch black Grenfell Tower stairwell
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A distraught mother is searching for her 12-year-old daughter after she accidentally let go of her hand while trying to escape down the pitch black stairwell as flames engulfed Grenfell Tower.
Close friends of the mother, who did not wish to be identified, said she lost her young daughter while trying to escape from their flat on the 24th floor, and has not been able to find her since.
The mother's best friend said: "She is okay but we cannot find her 12-year-old daughter, we have called every helpline but they just take our number.
"Still searching, haven't been told what caused the fire.
"There's only one entrance and one exit and it was absolute panic.
"We're all so worried."
(Photo: SWNS.com)
She added: "She lives on the 24th floor and at the beginning when the fire was not that big they came to the staircase and were told to go back up and wait for assistance by firefighters.
"They told them to put a wet towel under the door and over their face.
"I was on the phone to the police and they were saying the same.
"It got to the point when the whole building was on fire and windows started smashing that they decided to run.
(Photo: PA)
"When they were going down the stairs there were people dead or collapsed.
"It was pitch black, there was so much black smoke and they fell.
"They let go of each other.
"She made it out, but we don't know where her daughter is.
"She is distraught she just wants her child back."
The mother's family and friends have been crossing across London to different hospitals to try and find the girl.
(Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Police have confirmed that at least 12 people are dead with 68 injured - including 18 critically - following the blaze which broke out in the early hours of this morning. The death toll is expected to rise.
Desperate relatives have launched appeals to find missing residents believed to have been trapped inside the block of flats.
Children and pensioners are among those unaccounted for after the 24-storey block .
Families of the following have posted appeals for their whereabouts on social media.
Mohamednur 'Mo' Tuccu
(Photo: Twitter)
The 44-year-old security guard had finished work around 10pm, before heading to Grenfell Tower to break the Ramadan fast with his wife Amalahmedin and 3-year-old daughter Mayah.
They lived on the 19th floor of the building. A neighbour said she knocked on the family's door to alert them of the danger as she left the building.
Mo texted his cousin at around 9pm, but has heard nothing further from Mr Tuccu.
The company he works for, Red Consultancy, tweeted an appeal to find the 44-year-old.
Maria Del Pilar Burton
Maria Del Pilar Burton, 65, and her husband Nicholas were caught in this morning's blazing fire.
Nicholas woke in hospital earlier today not knowing where his wife was and has appealed for help to trace her.
Simon, a resident who helped the pensioner outside the burning building, said: "We were helping downstairs in the building to get people out.
"Nicholas does not know where Maria is and she has Alzheimer's, but we know she got out. He's desperate to find her."
Jessica Urbano
(Photo: SWNS.com)
The family of 12-year-old Jessica have not seen her since the fire broke out.
Jessica, who lives on the 20th floor, phoned her mum from a fire escape at 1.39am but has not been heard from since.
Her auntie, Sandra Ruiz, said her family a 'desperately worried'.
(Photo: SWNS.com)
She said: "She was with a group of people in the fire escape, in the fire stairs, they live on the 20th floor and my sister-in-law was just coming back from work, as was my older niece.
"Jessica called her to say this has happened and she was only a few minutes away.
(Photo: SWNS.com)
"That's the last they've heard of her.
"She will be 13 next month so we're desperately worried.
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"She would have been in her bed clothes and she will be very, very, very scared.
"We're just desperate to find her."
Mariem Elgwahry and her mum Eslah Elgwahry
(Photo: Twitter)
Mariem, 27, and her mum Eslah, 64, are among those feared dead as they tried to escape their 19th floor flat.
According to a friend, she was last heard from at 2.20am, when she called another friend to say flames were engulfing the tower block.
Her best friend, who asked not to be named, said: "We have literally no idea where Mariem is at the moment.
(Photo: EPA)
"The last thing we heard was that they were still in the building at 2am.
"We haven't heard anything since.
"We are going around the hospitals but nobody has any idea so far. We have to wait."
Khadija Saye and her mum Mary Mendy
(Photo: DavidLammy/Twitter)
Tottenham MP David Lammy is among those to share an appeal for artist Khadija Saye who lives in the block along with her mum Mary Mendy.
The 24-year-old is a “dear friend” of Mr Lammy.
On Twitter, Mr Lammy said: "If you have any information about Khadija Saye please contact me. She is our dear friend, a beautiful soul and emerging artist."
Mr Lammy’s wife, Nicola Green continued: “Looking for our dear friend Khadija Saye who lives on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower on fire this morning – she always wears this African necklace.”
Ms Green said Khadija was last heard from at 3am when she sent messages from her flat, as her phone was not working.
"She was on Facebook saying she was unable to get out of the flat, that the smoke was so thick," Ms Green said.
"She was saying she just can't get out and 'Please pray for me. There's a fire in my council block. I can't leave the flat. Please pray for me and my mum."
Saber Neda
(Photo: SWNS.com)
(Photo: SWNS.com)
Saber who lived in a top-floor flat, is feared dead after the fire ripped through the 24-storey building as his wife Shakila, 45, and son Farhad, 24.
His nephew Reshad Habib, who lives in the Netherlands, said: "We are all trying to find him.
"He was last heard from at 3.30am when he told his wife and son to leave him. He said that they had to get out.
"He said they should go and he would follow.
(Photo: PA)
"We all don't know the exact reason why he waited behind, but we think he was injured or something.
"They were both taken to hospital. We don't know how they are."
Ali Yawar Jafari
(Photo: hamidalijafari/Twitter)
Hamid Ali Jafari said his elderly father Ali had yet to be seen since he was trapped in a lift on the 10th floor of the block.
Mr Jafari, 82, was inside a lift with his family when he exited on the tenth floor because he was struggling to breathe.
He has not been seen since and cannot be found at any hospital.
His son Hamid Jafari said: "He was with my mother and sister in the lift.
"She said the lift stopped on the tenth floor and he said there was too much smoke and he couldn't breathe and he got out of the lift and then the doors shut and it didn't stop again till the ground floor."
Ali's daughter added: "My father is missing, I came down with my mother."
(Photo: John Nguyen/JNVisuals)
Fouzia Wahabi, her husband Aziz, and their three children Nurhouda, Yassin and Mehdi
Ahmed Chellat said his sister Fouzia Wahabi, brother-in-law Aziz, and their three children Nurhouda, Yassin and Mehdi are unaccounted for.
He said: "Aziz's sister on the ninth floor was evacuated and she told firefighters that the family were on the 21st floor.
"Aziz was talking to the firefighters and they were saying to stay inside and put wet towels under the doors.
(Photo: @VictoriaLIVE/Twitter, BBC)
"I last spoke to Fouzia at about 2am and she was very calm and saying that the smoke was coming into her flat.
"She was not panicking at all.
"Today we have been around all the hospitals but have found nothing."
(Photo: Barcroft Media)
"The last thing we heard was that they were still in the building at 2am.
"We haven't heard anything since.
"We are going around the hospitals but nobody has any idea so far. We have to wait."
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(Photo: EPA)
Another woman, named Suha, told LBC, she is waiting for news on her elderly relative who lives in the 20th floor of the building.
She said: "I have been here since it started trying to find out whether she is out or not. She is elderly and has a heart condition.
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"I have been trying to call her.. her phone is switched off. The police say there is no information to give."
(Photo: EPA)
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(Photo: AFP)
Mum-of-six escaped 21st floor flat in Grenfell Tower fire with all her children but 'only had four kids at bottom of stairs'
Witnesses reported terrifying scenes as people jumped from their windows or climbed down knotted bedsheets in a desperate bid to escape.
(Photo: SWNS.com)
Ms Cotton said the first emergency call came in at 12:54am and the first crew was on scene, in Latimer Road, north Kensington, in less than six minutes.
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Hundreds of emergency services personnel, including more than 200 firefighters, responded to the inferno.
Theresa May said on Wednesday she was devastated by the fire.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in the Grenfell Tower and is being kept constantly updated on the situation."
Police have set up an emergency number for the Grenfell Tower Fire with relatives advised to call 0800 0961 233.