London highrise fire: 58 missing, presumed dead, police say

British police say 58 people are missing and presumed to have died in this week's blaze at a west London highrise apartment building.

"Sadly at this time, there are 58 people who we have beentold were in Grenfell Tower on the night that are missing andtherefore, sadly, I have to assume that they are dead," Cmdr. Stuart Cundy told reporters on Saturday, adding that the figure couldchange.

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This latest figure, based on reports from the public, included the 30 already confirmed to have died in the fire in west London early Wednesday.

Cundysaid there may have been people in the tower that police are not aware of, which would add to the death toll.

Hesaid it will take "weeks or longer" to recover and identify all the dead in the social housing building that was left charred and gutted by the devastatingblaze.

He reiterated there is a police investigation underway and that it will look at how the fire spread.

"It will look at the building itself."

Cundy promised an "exhaustiveinvestigation" into the tragedy and said "my heart goes out to those affected."

Prime Minister Theresa May met Saturday at 10 Downing Street with thefamilies of some of the victims, along with volunteers andcommunity leadersfrom the North Kensington neighbourhood where the building caught fire.

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She visited the site of the fire onLatimerRoad on Thursday, speaking to first responders. May returned to the neighbourhood the following day to meet with survivors at St. Clement's Church while angry protesters waited outside. Some shouted "coward" as she left by a side door.

May announced on Friday that her government has set up a5 million ($8.4 million Cdn) "discretionary fund" to help pay for food, clothing, personal supplies and funerals. The U.K. government has also promised to find homes for the survivors within three weeks at the latest.

Residents of the tower sayMay was far too slowto visit the stricken community, that the building had beenunsafe, and that officials have failed to give enough informationand support to those who have lost relatives and their homes.

Survivors and families of the victims are demanding answers in light of reports that external panelling put up during a recent renovation contributed to the flames' rapid spread.