A family of five who were reported missing in the Grenfell Tower fire were found alive and well, the police reported June 19.
The five are believed to be the Khudair family, who fled Syria to find a better life in the UK. The family’s English language tutor, Catherine Lindsay, had reported their disappearance, according to Daily Mail.
Police did not provide information on where the family was found, but The Independent spoke to one of their daughters, Rawan, on Facebook. She confirmed that they were unhurt, but had lost everything in the fire. Rawan said that the family is getting help from the local community.
The death toll from a fire that ravaged a London tower block last week has risen to 79, police said on Monday.
A tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire is seen in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 19, 2017. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)Fire broke out in the 24-story Grenfell Tower, a social housing block in Kensington, in western London, in the early hours of Wednesday, trapping residents inside as it tore through the building with terrifying speed.
“I believe there are 79 people that are either dead, or missing, and sadly I have to presume are dead,” Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters.
He said five of the dead had been formally identified, and it would be a slow and painstaking task to identify the others.
A minute’s silence was held across Britain at 1000 GMT (6.00 a.m. ET) to honor the victims of the fire – a painfully familiar ritual after the country has been hit by three deadly attacks by militants in London and Manchester since March.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon observes a minute’s silence in memory of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire during a visit to the Advanced Forming Research Centre in Renfrew, Glasgow, June 19, 2017. (Jane Barlow/Reuters/Pool)Cundy became visibly upset as he described conditions in the charred Grenfell Tower, where a search and recovery operation is expected to last weeks.
“I was in there myself and went all the way to the top floor and it is incredibly hard,” he said, before pausing as tears welled up in his eyes.
“It is incredibly hard to describe the devastation in some parts of the building,” he continued, his voice breaking.
“It is a truly awful reality that there may be some people that we may not be able to identify due to the intensity of the fire,” he said before pausing again to recover himself.
Firefighters from the Manchester Central Community Fire Station observe a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the fire that destroyed London’s Grenfell Tower block, in Manchester June 19, 2017. (Phil Noble/Reuters)Emergency services have been widely praised for how they handled the fire, but the local community has accused the government of a slow and inadequate response.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the terms of reference of a public inquiry into the blaze were being drafted, and the government had now contacted all local authorities in England asking them to identify any safety concerns in light of the tragedy.
People attend a minute’s silence for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire near the site of the blaze in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 19, 2017. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)Grenfell Tower is located in a pocket of social deprivation within the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, one of Britain’s wealthiest areas. The fire has led to national soul-searching about inequalities and neglect of the poor.
Briefing reporters at New Scotland Yard, London’s police headquarters, Cundy said a criminal investigation into the tower blaze would be exhaustive. He said 250 investigators were looking at all criminal offences that may have been committed.
“Whilst it will look at the how, perhaps more importantly, it will also look at why this happened,” Cundy said. The investigation will include areas such as the construction, renovation and maintenance of the building and fire safety procedures, he said.
Members of the emergency services attend a minute’s silence for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire near the site of the blaze in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 19, 2017. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)He said the death toll of 79 could still change if anyone reported as missing was found alive, of if anyone was found in the ruined tower who had not been reported as missing.
People react next to tributes to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire near the site of the blaze in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 19, 2017. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)“Whilst I’ve said I think there may be changes, I don’t think those changes will be as significant as the changes we’ve seen over the last few days,” he said.
The death toll was first given as 12, before being revised up to 17, then 30, then 58.
Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
