London: Seventy people died when a ferocious fire ripped through their London apartment block in June, British police concluded on Thursday after a probe which “pushed the boundaries” of scientific investigation.
The devastating blaze spread rapidly through Grenfell Tower on June 14, with 293 people inside as the only escape route became filled with smoke.
Seventy people died in the fire, London’s Metropolitan Police said after the force concluded its “mammoth search and recovery operation”.
The eldest named victim was 82-year-old Ali Jafari, while a number of children also died. A stillborn baby was also recorded by police as a victim, but was not included in the coroner’s final figure.
“I cannot imagine the agony and uncertainty that some families and loved ones have been through whilst we have carried out our meticulous search, recovery and identification process,” said police commander Stuart Cundy.
“Specialist teams working inside Grenfell Tower and the mortuary have pushed the boundaries of what was scientifically possible to identify people,” he added.
After the initial recovery of victims, investigators searched through 15.5 tonnes of debris on each floor to find fragments such as bones and teeth. — AFP
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