58 confirmed or presumed dead in London fire
LONDON — London police on Saturday raised to 58 the number of deaths either confirmed or presumed following the horrific inferno that turned the city’s Grenfell Tower public housing block into a charred hulk.
Public anger is mounting as residents and neighbors demand answers for how the blaze early Wednesday spread so quickly and trapped so many of the tower’s 600-odd residents. British media have reported that contractors installed a cheaper, less flame-resistant type of exterior paneling on the 24-story tower in a renovation that was completed just last year.
Police Commander Stuart Cundy said the estimate of 58 includes 30 deaths that already have been confirmed as well as reports of people who are missing and presumed to have been killed. He said it will take weeks or longer to recover and identify all the dead at the building.
“Sadly, at this time there are 58 people who we have been told were in the Grenfell Tower on the night that are missing. And therefore, sadly, I have to assume that they are dead,” he said.
He said police would consider criminal prosecutions if there is evidence of wrongdoing and that the police investigation would include scrutiny of the renovation project at the tower.
Some Grenfell residents had warned months ago that fire safety issues at the tower left it at risk of a “catastrophic” event. They say their complaints were ignored — and fear it was because the tower was full of poor people in a predominantly wealthy borough.
Police say the harrowing search for remains had paused Friday because of safety concerns at the blackened tower but has resumed. Cundy said emergency workers have now reached the top of the building.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, facing criticism for the government’s handling of the disaster, met Saturday with 15 fire survivors at 10 Downing Street.
The meeting is unlikely to quell complaints May was slow to reach out to survivors, despite her announcement of a $6.4 million emergency fund to help the displaced families.
The tragedy cast a pall on the festivities that mark the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth and her husband a minute of silence for the fire victims at the start of the procession Saturday.