MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

West London skyscraper death toll reaches 30 - figures not final

On Friday, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, visited the Grenfell Tower site and met with residents and members of the local community.

London Police authorities have confirmed 30 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire early Wednesday morning, while another 24 remain hospitalised, 12 of whom are in critical condition. Hence, the number of victims is expected to rise and it is still uncertain whether all bodies will be identified.

Initial reports accounted for 12 deaths but the number of casualties was already expected to go up. As to the cause of the fire, police sources indicated that they had been able to spot the exact place where it all started and that it was unlikely that the blaze had been set deliberately.

British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the scene Thursday, but she didn't meet with residents. “What I have done since this incident took place is... ensure that public services had the support that they needed in order to be able to do the job they were doing in the immediate aftermath.” She added that “this was a terrible tragedy. People have lost their lives and other people have lost everything ... What we are doing is putting in place the support that will help them.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote a letter to May urging her to do more to help provide information to the families of the victims and that identification of those killed could be sped up if the authorities abandoned protocols used after a terrorist attack. “The local community feels their grief has been made worse by the lack of information about their missing family members and friends,” Khan's letter read. It went on - “They are fully aware of the true scale of this tragedy but cannot comprehend why they are not being given more information. There is also insufficient support for victims on the ground.”

Khan also said the scale of this tragedy is “proving too much for the local authority to cope with on their own”. He said tower block residents were “terrified that the same thing could happen to them.”

On Friday, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, visited the Grenfell Tower site and met with residents and members of the local community.

Also visiting the area in the aftermath of the fire was Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who drew attention towards potential further dangers. Corbyn said that if the government has any reason to believe specific tower blocks could be at risk, residents should be rehomed in the local area immediately, while these checks take place. Corbyn was told by residents that the “country needs you”.

The 24-story apartment building, Grenfell Tower, was built in 1974 in the West London area and underwent $13.2 million refurbishment recently. It has 24 floors total, and 120 apartments on 20 residential floors. Residents of the apartment tower, part of the Grenfell Action Group, had expressed concerns regarding the safety of the high-rise, which is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation. Police have since launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire.

Corbyn said that the local MP – Emma Dent Coad, who was elected in a shock result last week – and Labour's housing spokesperson would each speak up for residents. “I will speak up for all of you,” he told local residents who welcomed him. “The truth has got to come out,” he added. “And it will.”

The Labour leader also voiced concerns that everyone who lives in a high-rise flat like Grenfell Tower will be asking about how safe they are, and asked the government to give assurances to residents.

Labour MPs visited St Clements Church, where volunteers have set up a refuge centre and which has served as a base for donations and help. He met with volunteers who showed him the many donations that have arrived in the area since the disaster.