Thirty-three bodies have so far been recovered from a warehouse in Oakland, California, following a deadly fire during a party, officials say.

Only about 20 percent of the building has been searched and “a significant number” of people are still missing, they said.

It is unclear what caused the fire at the converted warehouse.

The safety record of the building is under close scrutiny. There were no sprinklers and the only exit from the second floor was a makeshift stairwell, reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, a man identified by former residents as the collective’s co-operator, has drawn criticism for a Facebook post, in which he wrote that “everything I worked so hard for is gone”, without acknowledging those who died.

BDST: 1151 HRS, DEC 05, 2016
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