58 presumed dead in London blaze

london — The presumed death toll from the London tower block inferno jumped to 58 on Saturday as embattled Prime Minister Theresa May, accused of misreading the national mood over the tragedy, met survivors desperately seeking answers.

Police searching for human remains inside the burnt-out shell of the Grenfell Tower said they believe that at least 58 missing people have died, a figure that includes 30 fatalities so far confirmed.

Sixteen bodies have been removed from the blackened 24-storey apartment block, and the first victim was formally identified as Mohammed Alhajali, a 23-yearold Syrian refugee.

Queen Elizabeth II said the disaster had cast a sombre pall over Britain, but insisted the country was showing resolve in the face of adversity.However, public anger has swollen over the disaster, with furious residents heckling May and storming the local authority headquarters on Friday.

They demanded justice for the victims and claimed Wednesday’s fatal blaze was due to negligence, with many citing the cladding that was put on the 1974 concrete tower during a recent refit.

“It was a death trap, and they knew it,” one person shouted as demonstrators stormed inside the offices of the Kensington and Chelsea council, which was responsible for managing the social housing block in a working-class enclave of one of Britain’s richest districts.

Police said Saturday that their investigation into the blaze would look at the building and its 2016 refurbishment, and vowed to bring prosecutions “if there is evidence”. —

— AFP People look at floral tributes outside the Notting Hill Methodist Church, offered for the victims of the Grenfell Tower block fire, in Kensington, west London, on Saturday