May faces public anger over tower fire as death toll rises

LONDON: At least 58 people were likely killed in a fire which engulfed a London tower block earlier this week, police said.

If that death toll is confirmed, it would make the Grenfell Tower blaze the deadliest in London since World War II.

“Sadly at this time, there are 58 people who we have been told were in Grenfell Tower on that night who are missing. Therefore, sadly I have to assume that they are dead,” Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters yesterday.

Cundy added that the figure could change. Police had previously put the death toll at 30.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s government earlier sought to quell anger over the fire, pledging to support the victims of the blaze after protesters jeered her when she visited local residents.

May was rushed away from a meeting with residents on Friday under heavy police guard as protesters shouted ”Shame on you” and hundreds stormed a local town hall calling for justice.

After a botched snap election that lost her party its majority in parliament, May is facing criticism for her response to the blaze which engulfed the 24-storey apartment block of social housing on Wednesday.

Residents of the destroyed tower said May was far too slow to visit the stricken community, that the building had been unsafe and that officials had failed to give enough information and support to those who had lost relatives and their homes.

Asked repeatedly whether she had misread the public mood, May did not answer directly but said the focus was on providing support to the victims.

“What I’m now absolutely focused on is ensuring that we get that support on the ground,” May said in a BBC Newsnight interview.

“The government is making money available, we’re ensuring that we’re going to get to the bottom of what’s happened, we will ensure that people are rehoused. But we need to make sure that actually happens.”

Yesterday, May chaired a meeting on the government’s response to the fire. She also met victims of the fire in Downing Street.

Alongside police and fire investigations into the blaze, she has promised to set up a public inquiry.

She also pledged £5mil (RM27mil) of support, housing guarantees and help with access to bank accounts and cash, adding that those who lost their homes would be rehoused within three weeks.

While the blaze has prompted an outpouring of generosity, with many people donating provisions and clothes, it has also unleashed rage at the authorities as the charred tower was cast as a deadly symbol of a deeply divided society.

Angry protesters chanting “We want justice” stormed their way into the Kensington and Chelsea town hall on Friday.

Opponents said May’s handling of the fire had thrust her position further into doubt by showing a failure to feel the public mood and act decisively.

Matthew Parris, a columnist and former Conservative lawmaker, said May’s response to the fire showed a lack of judgment which made her unsuitable to be prime minister. — Reuters