Grenfell Tower fire: Witnesses describe terrifying scenes

Witnesses have described terrifying scenes as a deadly fire engulfed a west London tower block.

A number of residents are unaccounted for after the overnight blaze at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower.

People living nearby saw trapped residents jumping from the lower storeys and banging on windows in desperation.

Others tried to lower themselves down out of the 24-storey Grenfell Tower as the fire destroyed their homes.

More than 70 people have been treated at hospital following Wednesday's blaze, with 18 in a critical condition.

Local resident Emdad Choudhury broke down as he described his helplessness as people begged for help from the higher floors of the burning tower.

"Horrifically the people inside the building were giving us eye contacts and unfortunately we couldn't help," he said. "We couldn't really do anything."

Mr Choudhury, who had come upon the fire after returning from a mosque following night prayer, later took in a family of Afghani sisters who had fled the tower only to realise their 90-year-old father remained inside.

Another witness, Tia Abrhams, said: "I heard banging on windows. You could hear women, men screaming, shouting out for help.

"When the fire got to its peak point, I could actually hear a man screaming and then, all of a sudden, the screaming just stopped."

An anonymous witness described: "People were jumping off buildings. People were screaming 'help me, help me.'

"There was a guy hanging down and he was trying to jump."

James, another witness, said: "A number of us tried to get in to get them out, but it was not possible. Even the police and fire brigade couldn't get them out.

"There were children screaming. There was a lady who put her baby outside the window. There were lots of people and families who were trapped."

Student Tiago Etienne saw families throwing their children from around the 15th floor of Grenfell Tower, but it was hard to tell in the darkness of the early hours.

"I saw about three children between the ages of four and eight being thrown," he said.

Witness Amanda Fernandez, 32, said: "It was literally like what you see in a film.

"You could hear screaming. It was like a nightmare. The lights starting blacking out.

"Then you could see the people inside using their lights on their mobile phones, then you think 'oh my God, they have not got out.'"