LONDON—The death toll from the London apartment block fire has risen to at least 30 and police are considering whether criminal offenses had been committed, a senior police officer said on Friday.
“We know that at least 30 people have died as a result of this fire,” said Commander Stuart Cundy, adding that the figure was expected to rise.
He added that 24 people were still in hospital and 12 were receiving critical care.
“The investigation will look in into what criminal offences may have been committed,” Cundy said.
People light candles for a memorial outside Notting hill Methodist Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in west London on June 15.
(DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
A huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower in West London on June 14, 2017. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Smoke billows as firefighters deal with a serious fire in a tower block in West London, Britain on June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)
A firefighter examines material in a tower block severely damaged by fire in West London, Britain on June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Neil Hall)
A police officer holds a riot shield over a firefighter at a tower block severely damaged by a fire in West London, Britain on June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Neil Hall)
Flames and smoke engulf a tower block, in West London, Britain on June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)
People react near a tower block severely damaged by a serious fire, in north Kensington, West London, Britain on June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Neil Hall)
Smoke billows from a tower block severly damaged by fire, in West London, Britain on June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Neil Hall)
Flames continue to burn after a huge fire engulfed a 24-story residential Grenfell Tower block in West London in the early hours of June 14, 2017. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 14: In this image taken by eyewitness Gurbuz Binici, a huge fire engulfs the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London in the early hours of this morning on June 14, 2017 in London, England. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has declared the fire a major incident. Fatalities have been confirmed and at least 50 people are receiving hospital treatment. (Photo by Gurbuz Binici /Getty Images)
