California building fire toll rises to 24, more victims expected

Oakland: The toll in a massive fire at a building here in California has risen to 24 on Sunday. The inferno broke out during a weekend dance party.

Rescue teams have recovered 24 bodies from the building and the death toll is expected to rise, authorities said.

The names of the victims would be released "in the coming hours" after their families were notified, Reuters quoted Sergeant Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, as saying.

“In regards to the amount of people that are still missing, yes, it’s a significant number, Kelly said.

Melinda Drayton, battalion chief at the Oakland Fire Department, said rescuers have been able to search only 20 percent of the building in the past 12 hours.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.