At least
six people have been confirmed killed in a huge fire that ripped through a west
London tower block, but police expect the death toll to rise. Up to 600 people
are believed to have been inside Grenfell Tower's 120 flats when the blaze tore
through the 24-storey building in the early hours.
Twenty people are in critical care after 74 injured people were
taken to hospital, but many are still missing after residents were
left trapped on upper floors as flames rapidly ripped up the block.Residents
who escaped spoke of others trapped and screaming for help, with some
throwing children from windows and others jumping from upper floors. Some were
reported to have attempted to use bin bags as makeshift parachutes.
Pictures showed
flames engulfing the block and a plume of smoke visible across the capital,
while others showed desperate residents looking out of windows in the block.
In a
sign of hope, survivors were still reportedly being pulled from the block nine
hours after the blaze started. As an investigation into the cause of the fire
began, residents reported that fire alarms had not sounded and that they were
told to "stay put" in their flats and "put a wet towel down by
the door". Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said "questions need to
be answered as soon as possible".
More
than 200 firefighters were called to the block on the Lancaster West
Estate, in north Kensington, at about 1.15am. In a statement at 11.30am,
Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "I can confirm
six fatalities at this time but this figure is likely to rise during what will
be a complex recovery operation over a number of days. Many others are
receiving medical care."
He said it was likely to be some time before police are able to
identify the victims, adding that it was too early to speculate on the cause of
the fire.
Culled Telegraph
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