a gunman opens fire at a congressional baseball practice. a senior republican is among the injured. we are united in our shock. we are united in our anguish. an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. welcome to this special edition of bbc world news, many people are missing after the huge fire in golf that tail—block in west london. at least 12 people are confirmed dead but police say the figure is expected to rise. fire crews have reached but not searched every floor of the 2a story building. 3a people are in hospital, 18 are critically ill. pockets of fire are burning on some flaws 2a hours after the blaze began. our special coverage begins with this report from our uk home editor, mark easton. oh my god, they're screaming! it is a tragedy that plays to our darkest fears. the fire started between midnight and 1am. the screams from the flats and the acrid smell of burning, waking neighbours. it wasjust people jumping out, literally. and putting sheets down to try to get out of the building. windows exploding, big, massive pieces of debris falling to the floor. we came here, saw people jumping off. people calling... you saw people jumping off? yeah. people had jumped off because they had no other option to. how high up? the top floor. i saw someone jump. someone was on fire and they jumped too. he didn't make it. some people have picked up their kids and threw them out for the police to pick them up because there was no other way out of the building. did you see that as well? i saw kids standing at the window screaming, "help me, help me, i can't breathe, help me." the fire raced through the 2a—storey council block in this part of north kensington. on the seventh floor, this family were led to safety. there was smoke everywhere, people screaming. the neighbours were coming out. there was a fireman there going, "get out, get out." iran back injust my boxer shorts, put my dressing gown on, grabbed the little girl, put her under my dressing gown to cover her face from the smoke, got my girlfriend up. ran down the stairs, we're on the seventh, as we're running down we've gone to the fourth floor and it was pitch black. many people numb with shop frantically searched to find missing friends and relatives. this woman's sister and 12—year—old nephew were unaccounted for. my sister with her son. how old is he? he is 12 years old. that is why ask. a 12-year-old boy. as well as the smoke and the smell of burning, numb shock and tension hangs over this area. in the 21st—century, in a country with some of the strictest fire regulations in the world, a desperate tragedy latest ass shouldn't happen. what floor are you on? seven, yeah? well into the morning the crowds watching the horror on fault in front of them reported seeing people still trapped in the block. i saw somebody there. he was waving a white... in a white shirt? yes. a man was eventually brought out by the emergency services at noon. this duty nurse helped tend to some of the injured rescued from the building. helped tend to some of the injured rescued from the buildinglj helped tend to some of the injured rescued from the building. i have seen some things but today... i can't even describe it. there are mothers who have come out and lost their children. there are firefighters that have come out injured and we don't know if they will come out say. —— safe. people have lost their homes, children have seen things, people jumping out the window. we just need to rebuild as a community now. this is your building, isn't it? we have a number and they have to meet stringent safety and fire safety standards and in a refurbishment there would be an inspection from there would be an inspection from the fire authority. it hasn't worked, has it? clearly it hasn't and we have to get to the bottom of what went wrong. the streets of north kensington are littered with ashes, the charred home work of a schoolchild blown from grenfell tower but the neighbourhood is also scoured by grief that will not pass for a long, long time. stories have been emerging of people who escaped from the tower block to watch as it tore through the many are now being sheltered in nearby community centres. and that's where the families and friends of those still missing are also gathering, going from centre to centre to try to find their loved ones. our special correspondent lucy manning has been talking to some of the families affected by the tragedy. the air was punctuated with the sound of crying. some have lost their home. others, much, much more. they gathered outside the community centre, but the one thing no—one could offer was good news. for the shakirfamily, it was, understandably, too much. my mum, my sister, her daughters and her husband. they are all still in the building. i don't know if they are out, we do not know any information. susan gave us this picture of her three smiling nieces. mirna, fatumah, and three—year—old zeinab. what floor where your family on? the 22nd. you have not been able to contact them? i phoned my sister during... you know, when she was in there. all i could hear was screaming and i was trying to tell her get out, get to the nearest fire exit and ijust heard people screaming. i was shouting so she could hear, you know? even the police officer heard me shouting on the phone, you know? i wanted to go in, do something i felt hopeless just standing there. you know? a blanket, at least, so people could jump out of the window. in the last few hours, susan heard news that somebody might have spoken to her family. she still doesn't know if it is true. mohammed's taxi sits idle. his family are using it to appeal for help. the 57—year—old was on the 23rd floor but they have heard nothing for hours. my brother was on the phone to him for two and a half hours, he was saying "help me, help me!" the fire brigade was barricading them in, the smoke was going up the stairs from the fourth floor and they said the situation was under control and everything would be all right. then he just went missing, his phone was not answering no more. we have been to all the hospitals as well, nothing. this man escape from the block but other relatives are injured. two are still in a coma because they had so much smoke in their body. after the panic of last night, families today struggling with the silence. my brother—in—law, his wife and three children are missing. the children ages are 20, the boy is 20, a girl of 16—17, and a boy of eight years. ahmed spoke to them as they were trapped. i said why are you not coming? she said they asked us to stay, i asked where is her husband, she said my husband is talking to the emergency people. she said everything is all right, they are coming to get us. but the heat is coming. i said, look, get a wet blanket, put the kids on the floor and cover them and wait. she said we can't do it because the smoke is killing us, it is coming. tonight, ahmed said he believes his relatives could be in one of the hospitals. we were allowed to speak to survivors who had escaped and reached the safety of the community centre. i woke up at about 12:45 in my living room to "help me, help me! a woman screaming "my baby, my baby! and also the sounds of chaos. police were coming through the walkway, knocking on every door, "evacuate!" "get the hell out of there, this is going up." edward was saved by his friend will calling him telling him to leave. the smoke was so thick, you could not see anything. i got like maybe three quarters of the way and i was using my hands to feel against the wall, but i began thinking to myself, you know, this will be me. i am going to die of smoke inhalation here. there was actually a fireman lying on the ground, this fireman saved my life, to be honest, he touched my foot and led me where the fire exit was. ed was instrumental in raising concerns about the safety of the building years ago. this accident never needed to have happened. if people had listened to what we were saying, what the block was saying, what people, notjust me, but other members of the community were saying. well, inside the centre, those waiting for news or who have lost their homes are gathered downstairs in the hall. as you can imagine, it is a fairly distressing situation. at times, people are sobbing as they wait for news. news that at this stage will possibly not be good. they have no homes to go back to. and now, it is notjust the burned—out building that looms over this community, but the fear that many more of their neighbours have died. lucy manning, bbc news. let's cross live to the scene in london. sarah, bring us up—to—date with what's happening with where you are. yes, well, this is the overwhelming community response. 2a hours since the fire started, these other donations in one part of north kensington. just over the railings there are cars or owning up to give whatever they can. if we just have a look at the piles of donations here, we have got some slippers, a teddy bear, bedding and lots of pillows over there. i have also seen some toys for young children affected and some toothbrushes — even some luggage as well. this is just 800 metres away from tail—block which is still a light tonight. fire crews we re we still a light tonight. fire crews were we walked past were dousing water inside the tent floor. i am joined by some of those who have come tonight, volunteering to help, really. please tell me. you are a father and son. we have come from essex. we have come to help revive love. islam helps us to provide one love. islam helps us to provide one love. no religion is different to us. love. no religion is different to us. myself and my dad and my friends from peterborough and bolton and blackburn have brought down many different goods, food, nappies, literally tinned foods and everything, blankets, anything that could help the needy. we are sorry for the people who have lost their lives and our thoughts are with them. did you know anyone who has been affected by this? no. i feel so bad, very upset. we just feel upset. we we re bad, very upset. we just feel upset. we were not aware of anyone who passed away. 0ur we were not aware of anyone who passed away. our thoughts are with them. religion doesn't matter to us. what matters is the humanity. caring and loving for others. that is what we have been taught. and coming down and seeing this response, it is a very diverse community in this part of north kensington. what do you make of the way everyone has pulled together? there is a big crowd, even at this late in the night? it is excellent to see so many different cultures, to see so much contribution, it has literally touched my heart. the more i think people. i would love to thank everyone who has helped and i would like to thank people who will help tomorrow and the day after. thank you very much. these are just a handful of the volunteers that have come down here tonight to give all of these donations after the horror of these donations after the horror of last night. hundreds of people are now homeless and many will spend the night in an evacuation centre just over there. they will be bedding down. and the donations keep on coming. she was in west london where the community have been coming together and leaving all kinds of food and shelter and bedding for the people who find themselves without a home after the incident. that was 2a hours ago. firefighters are still their tackling the fire in the middle of the 2a—storey block. there will be more on the fire later. now for other news. president trump is being investigated for possible obstruction of justice, that's according to the washington post. the move by special counsel robert mueller to investigate the president's conduct, if confirmed, would mark a turning point in the fbi investigation into alleged russia interference in the us election. the head of the us federal reserve bank has raised american interest rates by a quarter of a percent. the benchmark rate will now be between one and 1.25%. we'll have more on that in asia business report in a few minute's time. police in california say three people have been killed in a shooting at a ups parcels depot in san francisco. the gunman, who was dressed in a company uniform, also died. police said he shot himself when they approached him. two other people were wounded. now to our other major story this hour. a gunman has opened fire on members of the us congress as they attended a baseball practice near washington. five people were wounded, including the senior republican politician, steve scalise, who's said to be in a critical condition. the attacker died after police returned fire. laura bicker reports from virginia. gunshots. it was a regular morning baseball practice, but a gunman tried to turn it into a killing field. the horror was captured on camera by a dog—walker. the shots ring out for several minutes with few pauses. is that guy 0k? one of few pauses. is that guy ok? one of the victims was a congressman, steve scalise, as his colleagues could not get to him as the firing continued. i could see steve scalise out on the field. he was shot from near second base. he was a little bit further away from the gunman. he was lying motionless. i wanted to get to him but there were still shots overhead from all sides. finally when we heard the shooter was down, ijust ran low out to steve scalise and started putting pressure on the wound. the gunman was a 67—year—old, james hodgson, from illinois. he was anti—trump. he was shot by capitol hill police. survivors say it would have been a massacre without their help. they were dodging bullets on a day that should have been batting practice. the emotion of seeing your friends shot while you are helpless. you have a baseball bat. they have a rifle. you are defenceless. the shooting has shaken washington, both sides of the political aisle seem shocked. when you go to baseball practice for a game for charity and you have to dodge bullets and you are watching colleagues laying down in the field, yeah, it is heartbreaking. this has to stop. hate has to stop. we are united in out hate has to stop. we are united in our shock, we are united in our anguish. an attack on one of us is anguish. an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. president donald trump praised all of those serving congress. we may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation's capital is here because, above all, they love our country. it is not yet known whether or not this was an assassination attempt. there are reports the gunman asked whether or not this was a democrat or republican practice. the match was supposed to be held tomorrow, held since 1909. it is a genuine moment of political bipartisa nship. since 1909. it is a genuine moment of political bipartisanship. it is now marred by violence. laura bicker, bbc news, virginia. let's return to our main story again. the horrific fire in west london. residents of the tower block are taking shelter in nearby church halls and community centres. reverend dr michael long is a minister at the notting hill methodist church close to the grenfell tower. he gave me a sense of the mood in the area. it isa it is a huge mixture of differing emotions, from horror to dismay to a huge amount of distress to the enormous response of people who just pile into the area offering donations of food, clothing. we have had a huge amounts donated to our church which is now completely full. people are turning up out of the blue and are working immensely as a team. there has been no single ego all day. people are working together. 0verwhelming. all day. people are working together. overwhelmingm all day. people are working together. overwhelming. it really is an overwhelming response. we have been seeing it again on social media, all of the images of the people wanting to come out and help. iamjust people wanting to come out and help. i am just wondering, though, i am sure you have encountered people who have lost their homes that have survived this tragic fire. i mean, what are they telling you? how do they feel about the position they find themselves in now?|j they feel about the position they find themselves in now? i have not had much chance to talk to people affected in that way in particular. 0ur role is simply opening ourselves to be available to whoever might need us. the local community have responded outstandingly. people of all faiths, they are helping. describe the community for us. all faiths, they are helping. describe the community for usm all faiths, they are helping. describe the community for us. it is a mixed community. some people have been here a very long time and know each other well and have lived in the flat for many years and have built a strong relationship. many have family that lived very close nearby. so it is quite a mixture of a very diverse but also a close community. and what is your advice to the people that are tending your church? many people are shocked and some are angry about why this has happened. yes. it is hard to find adequate words in situations like this. we are trying to give people hope and trying to help people recognise there is an enormous amount of good will for the people who have lost everything and for whom this has been the most terrible of days. within a few hours of the fire starting, people were arriving at the shelters carrying food, clothes, water, handing out masks to people in the street to protect them from the acrid smoke. 0ur correspondent, elaine dunkley, tells us more about the way the local community came together to help. this church hall, a refuge for those who have nothing and for those who want to give. they've been overwhelmed with donations. today we've been out, we've bought a load of phone chargers and we've given people the phone chargers to help them call loved ones and to make sure they're all safe and everyone knows where everybody is. we've also donated some money, we've given some money to some families. he withdrew £1000 out of his account and we've been giving families £100 just to see them over the next couple of days. i mean, it's amazing how everyone has come out in the community, and it just shows you how people will stick together in a time like this. and how caring people are, they've been so caring. this hall is full of provisions, from shoes to toiletries. people are sharing their homes, others are offering their time. i see that london is still together and regardless of your background — i'm from brazil — and where you come from, everybody got together. it is an amazing feeling that i have. in 15 minutes, this hallway, as you see, it is absolutely full of clothes, baby stuff, food, water. it is amazing. on another corner, just moments away from where people have lost their lives and others all their possessions, there are more supplies. we've had bedding, headscarves, toiletries, everything you can think of that people might want. this at the front here is food. i have kids at the local primary and secondary, texts are coming in, new centres that are open, where else people can take donations. you know, i happen to be nearby, so... i've got a seven—year—old and i was taking her to school this morning, and on that road where we walked to school, there was a very, very clear view of the tower and what was going on. the fire was sort of really going at that point early in the morning and she understands what's going on and so after school we came by here and she wanted to help load donations from this box into the van that's taking them on to the shelters where people are being looked after. this is an area where there is wealth, and those who have very little. people from all backgrounds trying to do their best. this community is very strong. obviously it's not about who's rich and who's poor, as you can see. you will see people with suits and people with tracksuits, you know, just helping around and doing what they can do the best. there's also people here from different castes and different colours. a lot of youth is involved as well, from what i can see. you can see a lot of students running around here, picking up stuff. yeah, we from the sikh community are trying our best, making sure there's water everywhere. tonight, many of the centres are providing food and beds. but this is just the beginning for families who are now homeless. theresa may has promised a complete investigation into how it happened. the fire is still going. 12 people so far have been confirmed dead. authorities are warning that figure is likely to rise. the people who lived in the tower have raised concerns about fire safety. it was recently recladded. there are many questions to be answered. you can visit the webpage with all of the information on our website. i will be back with more from west london. you can stay in touch on twitter. thank you for watching. the next 2a hours will bring us some cooler and fresher weather but will not last long — the warmth will return for the weekend. we certainly pulled some warmth up from the south during wednesday. 27 degrees was our top temperature at heathrow. thursday, however, will be a different feeling day. the cold front pushing in from the west and behind that some fresh air will be introduced. ahead of the front a warm and muggy start to thursday morning, particularly in our big town and city centres. 16,17,18 degrees. with sunshine, temperatures in eastern england will rise quickly through the morning. here is our weather front, our cold front. at this stage showery rain and as that pushes through it will introduce that fresh airfrom the west. by apm, south—west england will still enjoy sunshine but the temperature will have dropped off. still some warmth clinging on across the south—east and east anglia. 22, 23 degrees here and mainly fine afternoon across the midlands. we start to encounter showers as we push across england, quite a lot fresher there. across scotland there will be cloudy periods, i suspect, with showery rain. equally bright spells in between and breezy towards the north—west. similar stories in northern ireland with bright spells but large areas of cloud and showery rain. we return to wales where it is fine through the afternoon but the temperature only reaching as high as 17 or 18 degrees. with fresher feel in place, thursday night should be a little more comfortable for sleeping, i suspect. 11 there in aberdeen. out in the countryside will be even a little cooler than that. fresh start to friday but a bright start with sunshine. however there will be changes through the day. more cloud into northern ireland, scotland, parts of northern england and north wales, patchy rain moving through as well. also you will start to notice those temperatures creeping upwards again and that is what will take this into the weekend. this warm front bringing some patchy rain across northern areas but also introducing some warm air from the south. you will notice an area of high pressure building in from the south as well. across england and wales, saturday will not only be warm and sunny. 28 in london. showery rain for northern ireland and western scotland. breezy here as well. on sunday the rain is confined to the far north—west. further south and east, a lot of sunshine, humid air in place and the temperature could reach as high as 30 or 31 degrees. this is bbc world news. the headlines: at least 12 people are now known to have died in a huge fire which engulfed a residential tower block in west london. the number of dead is expected to rise as fire crews carry out a complex recovery operation. many who escaped have pointed to the building's cladding as a possible explanation for the rapid spread of the blaze. a residents' group had warned repeatedly about the risk of a serious fire. more than seventy people have been treated in hospital — 18 are in a critical condition. checks are to be carried out across britain on similar tower blocks. and in the us — five people have been injured by a gunman who opened fire on politicians who were practicing for a charity baseball game. a senior republican member of the house of representatives, steve scalise, is in a critical condition. the gunman was shot dead by police.

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