- Police expect death toll to rise further as search continues and firefighters say they will be at site of blaze through the night
London: Twelve people have been confirmed dead in the inferno which engulfed a west London tower block and the death toll is likely to increase further, according to police.
Commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan police said the operation to recover casualties was going to be long and complex. “I can confirm 12 people have died … I do anticipate that the number of fatalities will increase beyond those 12.
“The thoughts of all of us from the emergency services and colleagues from the local authority and all of London, our thoughts will be with those so affected by what is a fire on a scale that is unprecedented.”
Live London fire: Twelve confirmed dead but police expect further fatalities after tower block blaze – latest updates
Steve Apter from the London fire brigade said firefighters had managed to make it to the top, 24th floor of the building in difficult conditions. He said: “This is an ongoing live incident. We will be here until the job is done. We will do everything we can to conclude this incident. We certainly intend to be here through the night.”
The London ambulance service said ambulance crews had taken 68 people to hospital and they were being treated in six hospitals across London. An additional 10 people walked into hospital. Eighteen people were being treated in critical care.
A limited crew of firefighters remained in the building and drones from Kent fire service were being used to assess the stability of the building.
But the police said a full search of the building had not been completed and the number of dead would rise. Cundy said it was too early to say how many more would be found dead.
More than 250 firefighters worked through the night to rescue residents from their flats after the blaze broke out, shortly before 1am on Wednesday. The fire rapidly engulfed the full height of the block, and was still burning strongly more than six hours later, with a thick pall of dark smoke visible across the capital.
Apter said a fire commander on the scene had seen quickly that the fire was spreading faster than he would have anticipated and a major incident had been declared early.
Horrific witness accounts emerged through the day. Residents spoke of a baby and children being thrown from windows as people tried to flee to safety. – Agncies
