Funeral fund raises thousands for Syrian refugee killed in London fire

Twenty-three-year-old Mohammad Alhajali had been living in the 24-story Grenfell Tower building in west London. They opened the door, the smoke come inside, I (saw) the fire around me. "Please help us collect as many signatures as possible to get them to the United Kingdom". "He tried calling but couldn't reach them".

The 23-year old's family said he had come to the United Kingdom with hopes for the future, and they will miss him dearly. "Mohammed was on the phone for two hours with a friend in Syria, waiting to be rescued".

Thea West, who was rescued by Mickey Paramasivan, told the Sun on Sunday: "Mickey woke me up". He told me the whole conversation. They say they will also use visual elements like tattoos and scars, in the painstaking process. You are in London, you are not in Syria.

"Can you imagine someone in Syria trying to make it easy for someone in London?".

But firefighters never reached the 14th floor. Mohammed was on the 14th. Zainab Shaher, from Camden in London, said: "I'm signing this because his parents have the right to say goodbye for the last time".

Abdulaziz Almashi, the co-founder of the Syria Solidarity Campaign, confirmed the news and said that he met Mr. Alhajali when working for the organisation that promotes freedom, peace and democracy in Syria.

He remembers telling Mohammed he should study computer engineering because it would be easier to find a job in London. He said: "I'm in the flat".

"That's why I feel he was a loss not only for me, for our community, but even for Syria".

The petition was set up by family friend Mirna Suleiman, 26, who had been ringing around numerous hospitals, rest centres and the casualty helpline searching for Mr Alhajali, before discovering that he had died.

Meanwhile on Sunday opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the local government where the fire broke out did not have the resources to deal with a crisis of this scale.

It is ironic that this young man of 23 escaped the war and destruction of his native land to die in the United Kingdom in a burning building.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Sunday after attending a church service several blocks from the tower that the fatal blaze was entirely preventable.

Commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan Police warned that the death toll could rise further as he formally identified the first victim as 23-year-old Syrian refugee Mohammad Alhajali.

Today charity Syrian Solidarity Campaign said on its Facebook page: "RIP Mohammed Al Haj Ali".

In a final text to his older brother after the two were separated, he wrote: "The smoke is getting in, the smoke is getting in, we are going to die, we are going to die".