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Death Toll Rises to 30 in London Grenfell Tower Fire Tragedy

London (June 16, 2017): At least 30 people were confirmed dead in the Grenfell Tower fire; hence it is expected to soar significantly, while police said that as anger mounts over a litany of failings that led to the disaster.

Whole families are among those who remain unaccounted for since the blaze, which police fear was so devastating that some victims might never be identified. More than 70 people have been named by relatives as missing.

Thirty people are now confirmed to have died, but it is feared the figure could rise above 100. Twenty-four people remain in hospital, 12 of them in critical care.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement that the victims included one person who had died in hospital. “There is nothing to suggest at this time that the fire was started deliberately”.

Teams were forced to leave the 24-storey building on Thursday afternoon when the fire restarted, delaying further the efforts to reach upper floors – where many victims are thought to have been trapped.

The UK Prime Minister has ordered a full public inquiry into the disaster in response to mounting anger that a series of loopholes had left the inhabitants vulnerable – despite repeated warnings over the last 30 years.

But Mrs May has been accused by former cabinet minister Michael Portillo of failing to show “humanity” during her visit to the scene by refusing to meet survivors as she wanted a “controlled situation” by only meeting rescue crews.

It has emerged that there have been no updates to Britain’s building fire safety regulations for more than a decade, even though a number of fires abroad suggested they are out of date.

Particular concerns have been raised about the cladding on the outside of buildings for a number of years, which experts said might have accelerated the inferno that consumed the block in just 15 minutes. It has since emerged that the United States had banned the type of cladding thought to have been used on Grenfell Tower.

After London mayor Sadiq Khan was heckled by an angry crowd demanding answers, more than 1,800 people are said to be attending a Westminster rally on Friday night to demand “justice” – raising fears that tensions could boil over. Stay with us for the latest updates throughout the day.

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