Anger as death toll rises to 58

lDesperate families of missing criticise chaotic handling of casualty lists Firefighters use sniffer dogs in grim search for bodies in charred tower block

AFTER tragedy upon tragedy, it was left to Queen Elizabeth to try to make sense of the Grenfell Tower disaster as others, including Theresa May, faced growing criticism for their mishandling of the fire – now Britain’s most deadly blaze of modern times.

In her official birthday message yesterday, the Queen said that, put to the test, Britain ‘has been resolute in the face of adversity... we are equally determined, without fear or favour, to support those rebuilding lives so horribly affected by injury and loss’.

British council officials and politicians have been castigated for their slow response to Wednesday’s inferno, which police said yesterday has claimed the lives of at least 58 people.

Praising the support of volunteers in both London and Manchester in the wake of the terrible fire and recent terror atrocities, the Queen said she had been struck by the willingness of people to ‘offer comfort and support to those in desperate need’.

British Prime Minister Mrs May, meanwhile, met Grenfell survivors, volunteers and community leaders in Downing Street.

It was her third attempt to set things right after she was criticised for meeting only officials at the scene on Thursday.

On Friday, after seeing victims during a low-profile church visit, she was met with cries of ‘coward’ and ‘shame on you’ as police held back an angry crowd.

Yesterday, friends and family of those missing following the fire again told how their efforts to try to find information about their loved ones was still being met with chaos and frustration.

As Theresa May admitted the support on the ground was ‘not good enough’, they said there appeared to be no centralised ‘missing’ list and they had been forced to visit or call rescue centres and hospitals for news.

Mirna Suleiman, 26, a family friend of the first officially named victim, 23-year-old Syrian refugee Mohammad Alhajali, claimed his family had been told by the designated casualty line that there was no such list – even a day and a half after the fire.

She said: ‘I spoke to the casualty helpline and they didn’t have any information. They didn’t offer any help. I was expecting to hear lists of missing people, lists of people who had died, passed away. [But there was] nothing, they weren’t collating these numbers.’

She also claimed the rescue centres held no formal records of those that had attended, and said one hospital had even told her they were unable to say whether Mr Alhajali was there because of ‘confidentiality reasons’.

Yesterday, the grim search for bodies continued as London Fire Brigade’s canine units were sent into the 24-storey tower block in North Kensington, along with the Met’s urban search and rescue dogs. Kitted out in high-visibility harnesses, the sniffer dogs are searching the upper floors of the building for the dead.

For added protection, they are wearing ‘buster boots’, which protect their paws from broken glass and other debris. At the scene yesterday, Met Police commander Stuart Cundy confirmed that 30 people had died, while another 28 were missing, adding he had to ‘assume’ these people had died.

It means the tragedy has eclipsed 1985’s Bradford football stadium fire, which left 56 dead.

However the loss is likely to be greater. The commander stressed this was based only on the number of people they believe were in the tower when it caught fire.

‘That number 58 may change,’ he said. ‘I really hope it won’t but it may increase. My commitment to families is that as soon as we can, we will locate and recover their loved ones.’

Mr Cundy also spoke out about the community’s concerns that the true number of those who died was being suppressed. ‘I really do understand the frustration of so many about not knowing the scale of the tragedy that is unfolding behind us,’ he added.

Elsewhere on the estate surrounding the tower, fury continued to mount over the ‘appalling’ lack of help for victims.

Residents spoke of the local council’s failure to coordinate the humanitarian response.

Community organiser Pilgrim Tucker said: ‘There’s been no coordination at all. I have not seen a single council officer at the scene. Where are the authorities?

‘Volunteers have picked it up and there has been amazing support and help but it shouldn’t have to be like this. I haven’t seen or heard from anyone from central government.’

Andrew Barshall, a local social housing campaigner, said: ‘There has been no central coordination between the different relief centres. The volunteers have just had to work it out for themselves which is quite disgusting.’

Campaigners, meanwhile, are pressing for a rapid ‘interim investigation’ to give residents key answers, without having to wait ‘years’ for a public inquiry to conclude.

IT project manager Melvyn Akins, 34, who grew up on the estate surrounding the tower, said: ‘Momentum is everything, and the people who are responsible have to be held to account.’

‘I haven’t seen a single council officer’

‘Those responsible have to be held to account’