At least 12 people died in the huge fire that engulfed a London tower block on Wednesday and the toll is likely to rise further, police said.

"Sadly I can confirm that there are now 12 people who have died, that we know of, 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," Police Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters.

More than 200 firefighters, backed up by 40 fire engines, fought for hours to try to bring the Grenfell Tower block blaze - one of the most treacherous seen in London for a generation - under control.

Reuters