POSTERS OF MISSING PEOPLE HAVE SPRUNG UP AROUND THE BURNT-OUT HULK OF GRENFELL TOWER IN LONDON. THE DEATH TOLL STANDS AT 17, BUT IS EXPECTED TO RISE.
Amid the horrifying tales of death and desperation at Grenfell Tower in London came stories of astonishing resilience, hope and survival.
Ines Alves, 16, fled her 13th floor apartment after her father, Miguel, woke her and her brother just after 1 a.m., urging them to leave by the stairs.
She took refuge at a friend’s house overnight before making her way to the local Sacred Heart School on Wednesday to sit an exam at 9 a.m., wearing the clothes she fled in.
“It still hasn’t completely hit me that we’ve lost our house,” she said.
Khalid Ahmed, 20, was credited with saving the lives of many on the eighth floor after he frantically woke them.
The quick-thinking engineering student was counting down the minutes to the break of the Ramadan fast when he first smelled burning. He shook his aunt awake before running out into the smoke-filled hall and banging on neighbours’ doors.
“No fire alarms went off and there were no warning,” he said.
Khalid’s aunt, Amina Mohamed, 46, said: “He saved us all.”
Sidani Atmani, 41, made it to safety from the 15th floor, but only after trying to help a disabled man get down the stairs.
Clarita Ghavimi, 66, a grandmother who had lived in the tower for 34 years, was rescued from the 10th floor by brave neighbours who battled through thick smoke to carry her downstairs.
On Thursday, London firefighters combed through the burned-out building in a grim search for missing people as police and the prime minister launched investigations into the deadly inferno, with pressure building on officials to explain the disaster and assure that similar buildings are safe.
At least 17 people were killed as flames raced through the 24-storey tower early Wednesday, trapping people inside their apartments.
Officials expect the death toll to rise significantly.
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, faced an angry crowd as he visited the scene of the fire.
He was confronted by a young boy who asked “how many children have died?” as he talked to an angry crowd at Grenfell Tower. The boy added: “What are you going to do about it?”
The Mayor replied: “People are justifiably angry and I share their anger and I share their demand for answers.”
Authorities have refused to speculate on what could have started the blaze. But the focus has turned to renovations completed last year that added decorative touches to the building.
The project included installing insulated exterior cladding, double-glazed windows and a communal heating system.