A total of 58 people are presumed dead after the devastating fire in a London tower block, police chief Stuart Cundy told reporters on Saturday.
The 120-apartment tower was quickly engulfed with flames after the blaze broke out shortly before 1:00am Wednesday, and witnesses reported seeing the fire racing up the exterior walls.
"We've worked tirelessly to confirm the number of people who we believe were in the tower on the night and, at this time we can not assume they are safe and well", he said.
Police said the death toll could change. He asked anyone who was in the tower and survived to contact police immediately.
Police say the harrowing search for remains had been paused Friday because of safety concerns at the blacked tower but has resumed. British media have reported that contractors installed a cheaper, less flame-resistant type of exterior paneling on the 24-story tower in a renovation that was completed just past year.
The local Grenfell Action Group had claimed, before and during a major 10-million-pound refurbishment of Grenfell Tower past year, that the block constituted a fire risk and residents had warned that access to the site for emergency vehicles was "severely restricted".
Specialist sniffer dogs are on the scene to identify victims in the ashes.
So, the residents are saying that the final death toll could be much higher than what British authorities are giving.
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A spokesman said the shore team worked through the night and that the boat will be ready for Thursday's three scheduled races. However, that drama paled in comparison to the frightening capsize in the final race.
The cause of the fire is still unknown but "there is nothing to suggest the fire was started deliberately", London police said in a Friday statement.
He said: "The building itself is in a very hazardous state".
May has been criticised from within her own Conservative Party over her response and she pledged on Thursday to hold a public inquiry into the fire at the social housing block which was home to about 600 people.
A group of angry protestors on Friday had entered the Kensington Town Hall shouting "we want justice" and "shame on you", according to Reuters.
The fire forced residents to flee through black smoke down the single stairwell, jump out of windows or even drop their children from the building.
The tragedy has provoked a huge response from nearby communities that have donated food and shelter to the victims. More than three million pounds ($3.8m) have been raised for the affected families.
Many survivors are sleeping on the floor in community centers and there's still no coordinated distribution of donated food and clothing. Al Manar, a mosque in North Kensington where Grenfell Tower is located, has cancelled i'tikaaf (retreat in a mosque during Ramzan) so that victims can stay there.
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