LONDON—At least 58 people are presumed dead from the huge blaze that ripped through a west London residential tower earlier in the week, police said Saturday, warning that the number might change as the search operation continues.
The number included the previously confirmed death toll of 30, London police commander Stuart Cundy said.
After facing mounting criticism for being slow to meet survivors and the families of victims, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said the government’s immediate response had been inadequate.
“The support on the ground for families who needed help or basic information in the initial hours after this appalling disaster was not good enough,” she said in a statement.
Police said they resumed the search operation in the tower on Saturday after it was suspended Friday over safety concerns, and formally identified the first victim of the fire as Mohammad Alhajali, 23 years old. Some victims of the fire have been identified publicly by family members.
The developments come amid heightened tensions over Wednesday’s fire at Grenfell Tower—a low-income high-rise in North Kensington, near Notting Hill and a few miles from the center of the U.K. capital, that was home to hundreds of people.
Critics have questioned whether officials were too slow to address concerns about fire-safety measures in low-income, public housing. One area of focus has been whether the aluminum cladding on the 24-floor building’s exterior contributed to the fire’s quick spread. The cladding wouldn’t have met widely adopted U.S. standards, according to building groups. CONTINUE AT SITE
