A mother-of-two sent a distressing goodbye message to her friends and family as she was trapped in a burning west London tower block.
As hundreds of firefighters fought to rescue residents from the fire-ravaged 24-storey, Grenfell Tower, the woman sent a Snapchat video.
The tenant, who The Independent has chosen not to identify, cried “Forgive me everyone, goodbye” while filming harrowing scenes on the 23rd floor of the building.
“I just saw her Snapchat saying the whole building is burning,” her friend, who just identified herself as Yaz, tearfully told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
“She is saying goodbye to everyone. She is praying in Arabic. You can’t see anything because it’s all smoke.”
Struggling to speak and covering her mouth, the friend added: “I met the paramedic first thing and he said there is no chance that they might have survived but I’m just hoping to hear something.”
She said the 30-year-old had her two small children with her when the fire erupted.
Many residents are thought to be trapped in their homes after the horrific blaze broke out in Latimer Road, near Notting Hill, just before 1am and massive plumes of smoke dominated London's skyline.
At least six people have died and around 75 people are being treated in six hospitals across the capital. The Metropolitan Police said they expect the number of fatalities to increase as further details of the “unprecedented” fire emerge.
Dany Cotton, the London Fire Brigade commissioner, said: “This is an unprecedented incident. In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never ever seen anything of this scale.”
She added: “At this time I am very sad to confirm that there have been a number of fatalities. I cannot confirm the number at this time due to the size and complexity of this building, and it would clearly be wrong for me to speculate further.”
Local churches, mosques and temples have opened their doors to help those displaced by the fire, with west London residents also offering up their homes and supplies to those affected.
The Mayor of London has advised friends and family to call an emergency hotline set up by the Metropolitan Police on 0800 096 1233.
