AMN
The death toll in yesterday’s devastating fire that engulfed the 24-storey residential block in west London has risen to rose to 17. Many people were still unaccounted for with police saying there was little chance of finding any survivors from the smoldering building.
London Fire Brigade fire fighters worked through the night to try and account for whole families that are still missing in the huge fire at the Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate in Latimer Road. About 600 people were believed to have been inside the tower’s 120 flats, many of them asleep, when the blaze ripped through the building.
Police confirmed 17 deaths among the 600 residents thought to have lived in the tower but expect that toll to rise significantly as the building is being searched. Nearly 78 people were injured, and 34 remain in hospitals across London – 18 of them in critical condition.
Firefighters worked through the night to dampen the fire. London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Steve Apter said almost all of the building had been searched but crews were still trying to put out pockets of fire in hard to reach places and unknown numbers remain inside.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised a proper investigation after the building went up in flames yesterday amid growing concerns about how the fire could have spread so rapidly.