|
LONDON, June 14-- The death toll in a horrific fire that swept through a high-rise apartment block in London reached double figures Wednesday night, with the toll expected to rise. By late evening, 12 people had been confirmed dead in the inferno at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, home to between 400 and 600 Londoners living in the 120 apartments. Around 80 more people have been taken to hospitals across London, some of them critically ill with severe burns. The London Evening Standard reported many more of the tower block's hundreds of residents are still unaccounted for. Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said he expects the death toll to rise, but so far no figures have been released to indicate the actual number of people still missing. Witnesses described how one desperate mother shouted to people from a ninth or 10th floor, pleading with them to catch her baby. According to the reports the mom then hurtled her baby from the flat and it was caught by a man standing below. It is not known what happened to the baby's mom. As rescue squads continued the grim task of working their way through the fire-charred tower, the number of people who perished in the blazing heat of the fire is expected to rise. Prime Minister Theresa May promised Wednesday night a full investigation into the cause of the tragedy. The tower block, more than 40 years old, had been given a facelift costing more than 10 million U.S. dollars just a year ago. | 
