British PM orders public inquiry into London tower fire

The British Prime Minister Theresa May ordered a public inquiry into the London tower block fire which has claimed 17 lives so far, with the death toll expected to rise.

Dozens of people are still reported missing and firefighters are struggling to get to all the parts of the building which have been destroyed by the fire. Out of the 17 bodies recovered from the fire, only six have been identified and officials fear that not all of them will be recognizable due to their charred condition.

“We owe that to the families, to the people who have lost loved ones and the homes in which they lived,” said May, as firefighters said parts of the council-owned building in west London had become structurally unsafe.

A Westminster meeting of MPs was held after the incident to discuss the way forward.

“People’s lives have been destroyed. They’ve lost their loved ones and their communities have been shaken to the core. They need answers,” said the area’s newly-elected MP Emma Dent Coad.

London MP Harriet Herman also urged fellow politicians to pursue the inquiry quickly. She warned Fire Minister Nick Hurd if they didn’t act “you and all of us are culpable”.

An unprecedented fire erupted at the 24-storey high Grenfell Tower at 1 am on Wednesday, which housed more than 600 people. The firefighter reached the scene within six minutes, but it took hours for them to completely douse the fire which had spread very quickly.

Investigations are underway regarding what caused the fire to spread so quickly, but many people are blaming the material used in the exterior of the building, which had been refurbished recently.

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