Fears have emerged that new plastic cladding was a main factor in the Grenfell Tower inferno and caused the housing block to "light up like a matchstick", the Daily Mail reports.
The rain-proof cladding was installed at the tower in White City, west London, in May 2016 as part of a $17 million refurbishment but claims say it helped the fire spread quickly from the fourth to 27th floor.
Twelve people are so far confirmed dead. Dozens are missing in the wake of the fire, with residents saying that "nobody on the top three floors have survived".
Twenty people are fighting for their lives in a critical condition with 78 people taken to six different hospitals across London.
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Advertise with NZME.Planning documents have revealed the cladding was added so the tower would be more visually pleasing when seen from the nearby flats in neighbouring affluent suburbs.
Prime Minister Theresa May said there will be a "proper investigation" following the fire, adding: "If there are any lessons to be learned they will be, and action will be taken."
Checks are also to be carried out on tower blocks going through similar refurbishment to Grenfell Tower, policing and fire minister Nick Hurd has said.
