(VNF) - There has been no report on any Vietnamese citizen being the victim of a fire in Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14^th (Vietnam time), according to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK.

Right after the fire occurred, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the embassy to find out whether Vietnamese citizens in the fire or not, thus delivering timely support.

The Embassy said it is keeping close watch on the incident, and stands ready to apply timely protection measures in case there are Vietnamese citizens in the fire.

Scene of the fire. (Source:BBC)

Up to 600 people were believed to have been inside the tower’s 120 flats when the blaze tore the 27-storey building in the early hours.

At least 12 people perished with witnesses reporting terrified residents had leapt from the tower and dropped their children in a desperate bid for survival.

"There are now 12 people that have died that we know of," Police Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters at the scene.

"I do anticipate that the number of fatalities will sadly increase" he said, adding that he did not expect fire crews hunting through the debris to find any survivors.

78 people were being treated in hospitals, 18 of whom are in a critical condition.

The London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire was under investigation, but its Chief Dany Cotton said she had "never seen anything on this scale" in her 29-year career.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "deeply saddened" by the situation and has called an emergency meeting to coordinate the response to the fire./.

VNF