(Reuters/NAN)
Police said on Monday that the death toll in the fire that ravaged a London tower block on June 14, has risen to 79.
Fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, a social housing block
in west London, in the early hours of June 14 and spread with terrifying
speed, tearing through the building with residents trapped inside.
Emergency services have been widely praised for their handling of the
disaster, the government has been criticized for a slow and inadequate
response, with Prime Minister Theresa May facing public anger for failing
to meet residents during her first visit to the site.
“Sadly today, as of 8 o’clock this morning (3.00 a.m. ET), the number has
increased. I believe there are 79 people that are either dead, or missing,
and sadly I have to presume are dead,” Metropolitan Police Commander
Stuart Cundy told reporters.
He said five of the dead had been formally identified, and it would be a
slow and painstaking task to identify the others because of the intensity
of the fire. Authorities may never be able to identify some of the victims.
Cundy said five people who had been reported as missing had now been found
and were safe and well.
He said the death toll could still change if anyone reported as missing was
found alive, of if anyone was found in the ruined tower who had not been
reported as missing.
“Whilst I’ve said I think there may be changes, I don’t think those changes
will be as significant as the changes we’ve seen over the last few days,”
he said.
At a daily briefing with reporters, May’s spokeswoman said the terms of
reference of a public inquiry into the tower blaze were being drafted.
“The prime minister is very aware that people want answers promptly and we
want to get this going promptly, so that’s our intention,” the spokeswoman
said.
She also said the government had now contacted all local authorities in
England asking them to identify any safety concerns in light of the tragedy.
May did not support a proposal put forward by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the
opposition Labour Party, to seize unoccupied properties to rehouse
survivors of the fire, the spokeswoman said.
