Theresa May orders full public inquiry into London fire
United Kingdom's Prime Minister (PM) Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the fire that engulfed a west London block of flats, killing at least 17 people.
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That figure is expected to rise, as fire chiefs do not expect to find any more survivors in the burnt-out Grenfell Tower in north Kensington.
People have been desperately seeking news of missing family and friends.
The PM said people "deserve answers" as to why the fire spread so rapidly and that the inquiry "will give them".
Mrs May, who made a brief, private visit to the scene earlier, said: "The emergency services told me that the way this fire spread and took hold of the building was rapid, it was ferocious, it was unexpected.
"So it is right that in addition to the immediate fire report that will be produced and any potential police investigation, we do have a full public inquiry to get to the bottom of this."
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn also visited the site, telling community leaders "the truth has to come out".
Number 10 confirmed the inquiry would be judge-led.
Housing Minister Alok Sharma said the government "stands ready to provide every assistance - we will support every family that is affected".
London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said her crews had identified a "number" of those killed, "but we know there will be more".
BBC Newsnight reports that the type of cladding on the outside of Grenfell Tower, installed in 2015 during a refurbishment, had a polyethylene - or plastic - core, instead of a more fireproof alternative with a mineral core.
The government said checks were now planned on tower blocks that have gone through a similar upgrade.
Construction firm Rydon, which carried out the refurbishment, initially said in a statement that the work met "all fire regulations" - the wording was omitted in a later statement.
Fire risk assessment in tower blocks was "less rigorous" since responsibility for it shifted from the fire brigade to the owner, Sian Berry, Housing Committee Chairwoman of the London Assembly, said.
Concerns have also been raised about fire alarms not going off and the lack of sprinklers.
Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, Roy Wilsher, said if the fire spread up the outside of the tower, sprinklers might not have made a difference.
Credit: BBC