Yahoo News Grenfell Tower death toll: Number of people confirmed dead rises to 30
At least 30 people are now confirmed to have died in the Grenfell Tower fire, police have said.
They have also confirmed that at least 24 people remain in hospital, including 12 who are critically ill.
More than 70 people remain unaccounted for, and Metropolitan Police commander Stuart Cundy said today (Friday): “Sadly we do not expect there to be any survivors.”
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He added that the building was in a “very hazardous state” and that it would take time for “specialists, both from the police and from the London Fire Brigade, to fully search that building to make sure we locate and recover everybody that has sadly perished in that fire.”
He confirmed that “there is nothing to suggest at this time that the fire was started deliberately”.
Victims so far identified include Mohammed Alhajali, a Syrian refugee who moved to the UK in 2014.
Another Grenfell resident who tragically died in the fire is Khadija Saye, whose death was confirmed by MP David Lammy, a family friend.
May you rest in peace Khadija Saye. God bless your beautiful soul. My heart breaks today. I mourn the tragic loss of a wonderful young woman pic.twitter.com/KdIPs34FvA
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 16, 2017
This latest news comes as anger continues to mount around the circumstances leading up to the blaze.
The lack of a sprinkler system at Grenfell and the tower’s controversial cladding have added to the feelings of anger among locals, who have lashed out at several politicians.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was heckled during a visit to the site yesterday (Thursday) and Theresa May has been attacked for not meeting local people during her low-key visit.
Conservative minister Andrew Leadsom also came under fire when she visited the area this morning.
One person said: “You know this could have been stopped right? You know that this fire could have been stopped. Long, long, long time ago.’ Because this block and every other block in this area are suffering in the same way, suffering the exact same way.”
Mrs Leadsom said: “I understand people are desperately traumatised and understand people are angry, and that’s totally understandable.”
Theresa May is today visiting victims of the tragedy in hospital.
Mr Cundy promised that police “will get to the answer of what has happened and why… if criminal offences have been committed it is us who will investigate that.”
Top image: Rex
