The death toll in the massive fire at an apartment building in west London has doubled to 12 as of Wednesday night, Metropolitan Police said.
Screenshot of Twitter.
The fire, which reportedly started at 1:16 a.m. local time (0016GMT), began on the second floor of the 24-story building, home to about 600 people, according to the London Fire Brigade.
The death toll is expected to further rise.
VCG Photo
Around 80 more people have been hospitalized and some of them were critically ill with severe burns. Many more people are still unaccounted for.
People were trapped in the apartment building, and some jumped from windows in an effort to escape, reported BBC citing witnesses.
Aid comes for the people left homeless after London tower block fire on June 14, 2017. /VCG Photo
Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday ordered a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat to co-ordinate a response to the tragedy, promising a full investigation into the cause of the fire.
"Once the recovery is complete an investigation will take place. It's impossible to comprehend the horror of what people have been going through," she said, describing the blaze as an appalling tragedy.
The 43-year-old tower block contains 120 homes, and had been given a facelift costing more than 10 million US dollars just a year ago.
The Local Grenfell Action Group said the building had been a fire risk and access to the site may have been "severely restricted," according to the BBC.
Related stories:
