this is bbc news. i'm ben brown, live at the scene of the tower block fire in west london. the headlines at apm. the emergency services have confirmed that the death toll has risen to 17, but the police are warning that that number may rise will stop many people are still missing. specialist teams are now trying to make the tower safe so they can search for the missing. my my firefighters were desperate to get in there and rescue people. we committed crew after crew into a very dangerous, hot and difficult situation. the faces of some of some of those still unaccounted for, young and old — many of whom were trapped on the upper floors of the building. how did the fire start, and why did it engulf the entire building injust minutes? questions but, as yet, no answers.

people are looking for their children, and it is so unfair. they should not have happened, it is 2017. it is notting hill, and is devastating. it really is. sorry. good afternoon from west london. we are in the shadow of what is left of the grenfell tower block. we still see the fire brigade training

their houses on the lower part of their houses on the lower part of the building. the fire brigade says it could take on several weeks before their work here is done. currently, the death toll is standing at 17. it rose from 12, which is what it was overnight. the emergency services are warning it is likely to go higher. there are many people unaccounted for, had many relatives and friends of loved ones are still very distressed as they search for their missing loved ones. the number of people being treated is currently 37, and 17 are in critical care. our correspondent, richard lister, reports now on the latest. the smoke—blackened ruin was still smouldering this morning. it took more than 2a hours to get the blaze under control. small pockets were alight in areas that were too dangerous to reach. there were bodies too, nobody knows how many. finding them is a challenge. this will be a very slow and painstaking process.

this is a large building. there will be a large amount of building work required internally, structures will need to be built to ensure the floors are safe. before we do that, we are going to utilise some specialist dog teams that we have, in conjunction with the metropolitan police, that will go through the building and surrounding area looking for identification of people. the search could take weeks, and police say the number of dead is expected to rise — but how much still isn't clear. our absolute priority for all of us is about identifying and locating those people who are still missing, and it would be wrong of me to give a number that is not accurate. one person has been reported 46 times that they believe to be missing. but how did this happen? the cause of the fire still has not been formally identified. understanding why it spread so fast

could take weeks, months, and for local people who saw the disaster unfold, grief is turning to anger. if you had seen that building go up, like i saw it from my back window, you would have no doubt it was not fit for purpose. someone made a catastrophic error. we are grieving, but there is bubbling anger underneath, and we want to see someone held accountable. i feel angry that i saw people dying in front of my eyes. i saw kids and women, and kids this age hanging from windows with teddies. that angered me, and nobody could help them. that really angered me. this wall has become a collection of a community confused and upset. some have left messages for loved ones, and others are thanking the emergency services. the queen said her thoughts and prayers are with the families

who have lost loved ones in the grenfell tower fire. the prime minister went to see the site for herself this morning. she praised the work of emergency teams and the response from the local community. after returning to downing street, she said the government would take action. right now, people want answers, and it is absolutely right, and i am today ordering a full public inquiry into this disaster. we need to know what happened, we need to have an explanation of this. we owe that to the families, the people who have lost loved ones, friends and the homes in which they lived. the area around the tower is littered with these burnt remnants of the building's cladding. survivors will want to know

why it was so flammable and why their concerns were not taken more seriously. it was obvious at the time, when i worked here in 2015, that the tenants were very aware of multiple problems with the building including potential fire—safety problems, and i worked with that community — the tenant management just didn't listen to them. the contractor did not listen to the tenants' concerns. as fires continued in parts of the building today, those responsible for grenfell tower insisted it complied with all the relevant building codes and regulations, but it stands as a monument to a fire—protection policy that clearly failed in the most devastating way. all day, people have been coming to a wall of condolence we have been encountered people who

have been distressed all day. your charity has worked with children in the block who are unaccounted for. tell us about them? there is a family we work with, the two old est there is a family we work with, the two oldest children. one is 1314, the other is 11 or 12. we have had no word from them, we have checked the hospitals, they are unaccounted for. we are worried. if anyone knows anything, please get in touch with us. anything, please get in touch with us. they are friendly children, loved by the charity, and we want to make sure they are ok. we are just seeing the picture now of those two young children who are still unaccounted for, as you say. their family as well. the mum, dad and the little brother. he is about five or six. we are concerned, there are

loads of people missing from the area, people i know by theirfaces and names. everyone is heartbroken and names. everyone is heartbroken and devastated. we want to make sure people are ok. if you see or hear from anyone, let people know. tell us from anyone, let people know. tell us what these two children you are booking for, as part of your charity work, what were they doing with the charity? we took them on half term dates, residential trips, we had them on summer projects. we stand a lot of time with them. i knew one of them since he was nine. to hear that something may have happened to him and his family... words cannot describe it. i want to make sure they are safe. as you go looking for them, how are you doing that? you are talking to us, are you also putting up pictures? we have been using social media, showing their pictures. my colleagues have gone to hospitals that have not heard anything back. we are trying our

best at the moment, but it is totally chaotic at the moment. it is over 24 hours, they are still finding bodies and staff. you cannot describe it in words. i hope they can be found. you live close to hear? yeah, just in a row. how shocked are you about these hold tower block going up?|j shocked are you about these hold tower block going up? i was not here at the time, i was staying at my dad's. i could hear the helicopters at 4am, and people were calling my phone because i live so close by. it has been chaotic, i've been working in the community. everyone has put their hands in, and it is beautiful to see everyone coming together, it isa to see everyone coming together, it is a shame that it took something like this for that happen. we're leaning on each other at the moment. slow steps and baby steps at the moment. it will be tough around here, there will be a lot of

heartbreak. we have to stick together and be strong. a lot of people in your position, who are looking for friends and loved ones developed its? it is exhausting and tiring, a lot of people have not slept or eaten. people are fasting, there is a lot going on. if you do see people, let people know, it is important because people are worried. there is a lot of misinformation, people are alive on second and dead the next. we need to know what the situation is with each family, or each person within that block. it is obviously difficult because they are still in the building, firefighters are still in the building looking for those who are missing, who are unaccounted for. that will take time, u nfortu nately. for. that will take time, unfortunately. it is a very tall tower block and the firefighters only went up a certain amount. the number of families living there... i

can't believe it. they are things you see in a film and things like that. you would not think it would happen on your doorstep. with the current situation in the local area and the politics and the things that are going on, it is not good, not good at all. thank you. i understand you are distressed, and it must be so you are distressed, and it must be so difficult looking for those people you are close to. good luck. and you for taking the time to be with us. not farfrom where with us. not far from where we are is a wall of condolence where people have been putting up messages, paying tribute and paying their respects to those they they have lost their lives, to those who are injured and unaccounted for. also messages with some words of anger about what has happened here. our correspondent is there now. yes, this wall of condolence is growing

and growing. we have been here for a few hours and it is getting bigger and vigour. there are hundreds of m essa g es and vigour. there are hundreds of messages here. these panels go all the way around the corner, they are putting more panels everywhere in this area now. as you can see, a lot of it is in memory of those who have been killed. rest in peace is a message we see across the sport. there is a lot of focus on those we re there is a lot of focus on those were missing, there are a lot of posters. this is one posterfor mariem elgwahry, who has not been seen mariem elgwahry, who has not been seen since 2:30am on wednesday, when the fire broke out, about an hour after it broke out. there are more of those appearing because there are many people who are still missing. amongst the mix of things he, it is not just about condolence amongst the mix of things he, it is notjust about condolence and the missing, there is also some anger. some messages here, for example this one here, saying, jail those responsible. there are many of those

with angry comments about the responsibility for this devastating fire, who was responsible? who should be held accountable for it? if we turn the camera around, we can speak to someone who has been leaving a message of condolence on this wall, marcy douglas, who has come from lewisham to pay your respects to those who have been killed. tell me about yourjourney here and what you have been doing. yesterday, i was at home and i turned on the television and i saw the devastation on the television. i said, i need to help these people. from yesterday, i came from lewisham, south—east lewisham, and i came to help. i was in the westway sports centre. i was planning to write the first messages, but it was getting late, so i had to go back home. my sip of these go out to all

of those families and friends and loved ones, may their souls rest in peace. when you see this, which you have been helping to put up, it is a special memorial, isn't it?|j have been helping to put up, it is a special memorial, isn't it? i am very proud of it. i am so proud of the community. all kinds of people have rallied round, and my heart goes out. it is overwhelming. it is really... i can't believe it. everyone from near and far has come around and put in their best. as i say, i volunteered, around and put in their best. as i say, ivolunteered, and i around and put in their best. as i say, i volunteered, and i will be here forever was i can. thank you very much. just one of the many volu nteers very much. just one of the many volunteers who have turned up. there are huge and as a people with huge match of food and clothing and all

sorts being brought to a number of centres, one just around the corner. it is packed with people and the things those in need can yet their hands on quite easily now. yes, people writing more messages as we speak all the time. extraordinary sight. i was just looking there an hour or so ago and it is extraordinary. let's talk about the casualties were still being treated in hospital. initially, more than 70 we re in hospital. initially, more than 70 were taken to hospital, six different hospitals. there are 37 people still in hospital, 17 of them are in critical care at the moment. one of the key hospitals is st mary ts, one of the key hospitals is st mary ‘s, not farfrom one of the key hospitals is st mary ‘s, not far from here. one of the key hospitals is st mary ‘s, not farfrom here. some of the injured were taken there. let's go live now to our health correspondent, smitha mundasad, who is at st mary's hospital. this is the closest major hospital to where the incident happened. we understand right now there are 11 patients being treated here, three in critical care. all afternoon, we

have seen a steady stream of distraught relatives and friends coming to the hospital is to visit people who have been affected, and others desperately searching for more news. i spoke to one lady who was looking for her friend, who has four children, who have been missing for some time now. she was turned away with no news. there is also now increased security here on the doors. we understand this is because the family feelings are running high, and there are police inside. at the same time, charities are leaving donations, children's toys, nappies, clothes are also being collected at the door here. inside the hospital, the doctors and nurses will be dealing with the challenges of smoke inhalation. smoke can cause serious damage to the lungs and windpipe. it can be able swell up

and make it difficult to breathe. anyone who is affected by this severely, the doctors will have been able to put an artificial breeding tune into them and put them in and induced coma to make sure they can breed. there are also things like the monoxide poisoning which they can treat with a heavy flow of oxygen, and also cyanide poisoning. furnishings, if left in any closed space, can lead to a risk of this. they will have an antidote for that here, as they do across many major trauma hospitals. across london, medical staff are working extremely ha rd to medical staff are working extremely hard to try and help the survivors of this crisis. let's talk now about the political fallout. we have had visits from the

prime minister, theresa may, and the leader of the labour party, jeremy corbyn, who has called for some a nswe rs corbyn, who has called for some a nswers to corbyn, who has called for some answers to some tough questions. we know from the prime minister that there will be a full public enquiry into this tragedy. let's hear from vicky young, who has the latest on this. yes, there has been an emergency briefing here in westminster today from the minister, the minister in the home office, nick hurd, and the housing minister as well. they were getting mps together who are concerned and horrified by what has happened. because parliament is not sitting at the moment, the queen's speech is not until wednesday. it was held in a committee room. they are pleased there will be this public enquiry, which will be led by a judge, some are saying that you need it sure they can compel witnesses to give evidence under

oath, which is the only way to get to the truth. there are concerns about how long the things take. it is not the first time this sort of thing has happened. if you talk about lessons being learned, many we re about lessons being learned, many were feeling that these lessons should have been learned before. responding for the government, nick hurd said that he was speaking to local authorities and the emergency services and said his question to them at all times was, what do you need? he said in emergency meetings, we must deal with this as if the people in the building were our friends and our loved ones. at the moment, we're at the point of emergency response, making sure these people are be housed. you make these people are be housed. you make the point —— he made the point, in reference to jeremy corbyn, the point —— he made the point, in reference tojeremy corbyn, that they might be put in

bed—and—brea kfast on the they might be put in bed—and—breakfast on the coast along way from home, but they were guaranteeing that they would be rehoused in the local area. we know there is going to be this public enquiry. people here want a nswe rs very public enquiry. people here want answers very quickly. we know from past experience that full public enquiries can take a while to come up enquiries can take a while to come up with their recommendations and their answers. i think that is a problem, and we don't yet know how the government can speed things up. there was another mp making the point that in previous cases the emergency services, people like firefighters, are concerned when there is this long gap between the event itself, the trauma which has happened, and then having to testify at these enquiries it is so much time has passed by. there was anger as well. we heard from david lammy, a labour mp representing tottenham. he has a

friend who is on the 20th floor of that tower block who he presumes is dead. he was upset because she was on facebook, posting things at 3:30am, two hours after the fire took place was the she should have been able to get help before that. the other thing raised by many mps is the confusion people living in high—rise tower blocks will be feeling, had out leading staying within their flat. no one should be scared to go to sleep tonight because of that. that was the urgent clarification they are looking for. the minister said, what we're doing, we're sticking to local authorities and making sure that the fire safety checks are being done. the advice could be different depending on what kind of blog you live in. and of course what kind of systems there are in place. thank you. our chief political correspondent there. as we have been saying, a lot of people here still very distressed as they search for

missing loved ones. we was beaten to one who was looking for a couple of children who she worked with at her charity. tulip muzumdar reports. this family archive from hospital to hospital, looking for their loved ones. this is a friend of the family. she has been visiting a 12—year—old who was caught up in the fire. she is not in a good condition, because she is in icu. she cannot talk. how are you? how is the community? i do not know. i do not know what to say. i am really stressed and really disappointed. i could not believe

what happened to them. it was like a dream. many families desperately searching for loved ones have come here since wednesday morning, but as the hours passed, the search becomes more agonising with the realisation that at this stage they are unlikely to get the news they so badly work for. this man is desperate. he was separated from his 12—year—old daughter jessica during the fire and is still going from hospital to hospital to try to find her. i was at home. i was downstairs with a friend. the fire started, and i tried to go upstairs and the firefighters were already there, and they would not allow me to go up. she was out of the flat at 1:30am. she was making her way down with some people. her phone cut off. we do not know. evenif

even if they just even if theyjust tell me we have identified everyone in all the hospitals, then that is a start. that allows us to move forward and not have to do approach hospital after hospital. if we look at the grenfell tower behind me, you may still be able to see the fire department still using a hose on the lower floors. fires keep flaring up as the wind catches them. there is still a huge amount of work to do. they are telling us that they are sending in teams of specially trained dogs to do some of

the searching on the higher floors, and they are trying to shore up the building from the inside. we know the building was built in 1974, and then last year there was a be further shred at the cost of £10 million, and part of that refurbishment was the cladding which was built around the building. some people believe it is that cladding which may well have caused the fire to spread so quickly and with such deadly consequences. it is still early days, there will be a full public enquiry. people around here and the people who survived from the tower block fire want answers very quickly. simon gompertz reports on the investigation ahead. tower block fires — an international pattern is emerging. in france in 2012, when a barbecue blaze spread rapidly up the outside, like at grenfell tower, the cladding was a factor. again in melbourne, three years ago, similar cladding burning, contributing to a fire which shocked australia. on new year's eve at the end of 2015

in dubai, the flames spreading like wildfire across aluminium composite cladding. for fire—safety experts, there were warnings. there is enough evidence from fires in australia, abu dhabi, france and others to show there is a problem unfolding. spreading fires are an emerging issue, and it is coming on the back of modern methods of construction which are leading to the introduction of new combustible materials, a combustible structure. it is natural people who live in tower blocks should be seeking reassurance because you only have to look at the website, for instance, of the company that supplied the cladding to see plenty of other examples of projects where similar—looking cladding has been going in. there is a big job for councils,

calming people's fears where appropriate, but taking action where it is necessary. the visits are starting. in derby, fire officers going into buildings today to resasure residents about safety. there will be detailed inspections demanded by the government from councils across the country, but that will not deal with concerns that materials can still be factor in a fire while meeting building regulations. there is a minimum requirement for the materials used and the installation of those materials. to say it was directly the fault of the cladding... it will soon come to light, but it is very difficult to speculate at this time. it was the most shocking blaze firefighters had seen, which spread at unprecedented speed. experts have honed in on the cladding, faced with aluminium which may have peeled off, exposing plastic material inside.

there may have been flammable form insulation behind. those may be the reasons. they are just theories at the moment. a grim and painstaking investigation is still to come. a huge and other questions we knew to be answered. more coverage from here outside the grenfell tower blog. let's pause and take a look at the weather prospects. it isa it is a decent afternoon from much of the uk. this was the view in wales. it is not a dry story everywhere because we have showers coming in behind a weatherfront. it has turned quite wet in the western side of scotland recently. we're into the low 20s quite widely, but even the teams further north and other showers. they continue to come

in this evening. the main focus will be western scotland, but some order into northern scotland. further south, dry with clear spells. nowhere near as south, dry with clear spells. nowhere near 3s warm 3s south, dry with clear spells. nowhere near as warm as it was last night. by dawn tomorrow, temperatures about 12 or 13 degrees, two or three degrees down on what we saw this morning. it will be a decent day in the southern half of the uk. it will feel quite pleasant. any rain tomorrow confined to the west of scotland. the north—east of scotland, around 20 three —— 20 degrees. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines. the london tower block fire — the death toll has risen to 17, but police warn that number may rise. many people are still missing. specialist fire crews are assessing the building and using dogs to search the flats,

but they say they there is no hope of finding anyone else alive. is my firefighters were desperate to get in there and rescue people and we committed crew after crew into a dangerous and very hot and dangerous situation. the faces of some of some of those still unaccounted for — young and old — many of which were trapped on the upper floors of the building. people are looking for their children and it is so unfair, it is really unfair. this shouldn't have happened. it is 2017. it is notting hilland it is happened. it is 2017. it is notting hill and it is devastating, it really is. i am sorry. questions circulate about the cause of the fire with some attention falling on the cladding around the building. the prime minister orders a full public inquiry. let's catch up with the sport now.

it looks as though it will be a pakistan and india champions trophy final. india are closing in on victory in the semifinal against bangladesh. they were put into bat first. 264—7, they posted. the india run chase is solid. rohit sharma co mforta bly run chase is solid. rohit sharma comfortably getting a half century. virat kohli has brought up his 50 in the last couple of minutes and they lost one wicket. india, 188—1 off 30 overs. the 117th us open is under way. golf's second major of the year. the world number1 dustinjohnson is the defenbding champion, he teed offjust a short time ago at erin hills in wisconsin. a lot of chat about the state of the

rough. they have chopped it down. tommy fleetwood is doing well, one off the top. danny willett is having a stinker on four over. the first round under way. the us open. the lions fly—half owen farrell might not be available first test against the all blacks a week on saturday. he picked up a thigh starin nad has had to pull out of the matchday squad for the match against the maori all blacks in rotorua on saturday. he was one of the replacements with jonny sexton starting at number ten. flanker peter o'mahony will captain the side, with tour skipper sam warburton on the bench. maro itoje starts in what is an otherwise, unchanged forward pack, from the one that beat the crusaders last saturday. warren gatland says he's going to keep the all blacks guessing, as well as all of us, ahead of their first test next weekend. he was really good coming off the

bench the other day and the combination of ten and 12 was seamless. jonny himself knows probably his last two games before that were his worst games of rugby. he was down a little bit on confidence. he has got a bit of his mojo back at the moment and we wa nted mojo back at the moment and we wanted to give him a start against them. when i first started playing senior rugby i was very anxious, nervous before games. now i am more controlled and calm and relaxed. i have more balance in terms of that. i think my knowledge of the game has increased. i have a greater appreciation of what it takes to win games from an individual's perspective in terms of my own preparation and also as a collective team perspective. a date has been set for a fight between, the former, 5—weight, boxing world champion

floyd mayweather and conor mcgregor. they will meet in a bout in las vegas, on the 26th of august. mayweather retired undefeated after winning his 49th straight bout in 2015. the 29—year—old irishman mcgregor has never boxed professionally. the contest will take place under normal boxing rules. and is set to be one of the most lucrative bouts in history. both men rumoured to be getting $100 million each. some breaking news in the last couple of minutes. jordan pickford, the under 21 goalkeeper for england, who plays for sunderland, not any more. he has become the most expensive british goalkeeper, a £30 million move to everton has been completed and i will have more on that later on bbc news. many thanks. suddenly is

coming into us that the first round of talks that will see the united kingdom leave the european union will start on monday. monday, june the 19th. it is following discussions in brussels this morning. both sides agree formal negotiations under article 50 can now start. they were always due to start on monday but the result of the general election raised questions about that. our political correspondent is in downing street and joins me now. what has the statement said? it is confirming what we expected which is talks will start on monday, as was planned. they were thrown into doubt by the outcome of the general election. there is now a tug—of—war going on in the conservative party now as to what brexit theresa may ought to be

arguing forand what brexit theresa may ought to be arguing for and david davies when he goes to europe ought to be arguing for, but they are pressing ahead with the beginning of the article 50 talks. mr davies and michel barnier, the negotiator on the use side, trying to create momentum, get back to business as usual, but it does not answer the questions here. does the chancellor argue for a different kind of brexit? of those inside the conservative party softer on these things, are they gaining ground in terms of pressing for a different brexit? theresa may has said things have not changed and the cabot reaffirmed that but it is an open and ongoing argument so it will be interesting to see what david davies pitch is when he meets the eu negotiator on monday. what sense

have you got about the meeting is progressing in northern ireland? they have been overshadowed by this deal between the dup and conservative party, to keep it in business. the parties we have heard from so far, the sdlp, all concerned about the nature of that deal and the fact it is slowing down the power—sharing talks and may mean and this is something of concern in the nationalist community, that the government here cannot be the kind of honest broker it is meant to be under the terms of the good friday agreement in terms of keeping the executive power, along with the irish government in the south. we had an sdlp, the leader, talking about the dup tail wagging the tory dog. there is fiery language going on. the dup, they stress that the

deal is not yet done and they will ta ke deal is not yet done and they will take their time and make sure it is the right deal. they are responding to the question that the queen's speech has been set for next wednesday, which could be seen as pressure on them to settle but they are not responding and they said they will do it in their own time. the northern ireland parties coming out this afternoon here saying that theresa may has promised to publish that deal and be transparent about it, so that people can see the terms. meanwhile, talk us through the political fallout after the fire at grenfell tower. theresa may has announced a public inquiry today. yes, led by a announced a public inquiry today. yes, led byajudge. we announced a public inquiry today. yes, led by a judge. we think that isa yes, led by a judge. we think that is a statutory enquiry and that will probably have the ability to summon witnesses, under oath. we do not

know the terms of the enquiry. that will be crucial in terms of who it can call, what recommendations will be made, the remit, how broad it will be. will it look good causes, blame, will it look of recommendations? what will the timescale be? map will be detail we will wait to get and also this afternoon the government announcing that everyone from the tower who have lost their homes, everyone will be rehoused in the area, which is a crucial reassurance for those people who have lost so much because the last thing they would want is to be shipped out of the area, but that assurance coming this afternoon from the government. thanks, gary. we can go back to grenfell tower now. thank you. in the shadow of grenfell

tower. occasionally you see the fire brigade training their hoses on the lower stories of the building, where fla mes lower stories of the building, where flames occasionally flare—up. the death toll currently standing at 17 but we have been told to expect it to rise and possibly significantly. 37 people in hospital, 17 in critical care. as you were talking about the political fallout, critical care. as you were talking about the politicalfallout, we have heard is theresa may has announced there will be a public inquiry and she has been here today and so to the leader of the labour party, jeremy corbyn. he said there has to be answers, the truth has to come out, he said. some of the volunteers here are doing extraordinary work in helping those made homeless by this disaster. we can go to our political correspondent chris mason on more of

the political repercussions. what is the political repercussions. what is the latest? the prime minister visited the area this morning to see the remains of the tower herself and speak to firefighters. the labour leader has also paid a visit. somebody has to be held accountable, somebody has to be held accountable, somebody has to be responsible. we do not want the government to hide this with hollow platitudes that lessons will be learned. it is concern and anger like this thejudge learned. it is concern and anger like this the judge led public inquiry will need to address. like this the judge led public inquiry will need to addresslj like this the judge led public inquiry will need to address. i will speak up for the people because we have to get to the bottom of this, the truth has to come out. mr corbyn tried to comfort those desperately still waiting for news. a construction of a tower block is essentially a series of concrete boxes, which are the flats. the fire

is not supposed to spread from one flat to the other, it is supposed to be contained. it was not, it spread upwards and spread outside, as well, through the cladding. this afternoon in parliament, mps reflected on what had happened. we must secure security and dignity for those who have survived and they want the certainty of knowing a date when they will have a roof over their heads and a date when they can get their children back to school and when they will have access to cash so when they will have access to cash so they are not relying on the kindness of strangers, however well intentioned and loving that may be. when we talk about a tragedy, we talk about it as if it is an act of god but the truth is it is not a natural disaster, it is a man—made disaster. it is important there is clarity today about whether people should stay in their flats in the

event of another horrific fire, which could happen as we speak, or whether they should leave. the government tried to offer reassurance. we will work with the local authority and the government will guarantee every single family will guarantee every single family will be rehoused in the local area. that is a clear reassurance i hope collea g u es that is a clear reassurance i hope colleagues will feel is useful. we have to act and think. as if it were our friends, our family. we have to act and think. as if it were ourfriends, ourfamily. we have have to act and think. as if it were our friends, our family. we have to have that emotional connection with what is going on because there is no room for cool detach bureaucracy. rising death toll and hundreds left homeless, and so many questions. there is a lot of grief, distress, anger and there is a lot of grief, distress, angerand a there is a lot of grief, distress, anger and a sense of this community in this part of kensington really pulling together. it is an

extraordinary scene of people giving so extraordinary scene of people giving so much for those made homeless in fa ct so much for those made homeless in fact they have been told they do not need any more blankets, food and water, but they need more volunteers to help sort through everything that has been donated in the last day. it has been donated in the last day. it has been donated in the last day. it has been heart—warming to see so many people from so many ethnic backgrounds, religious and cultural backgrounds, religious and cultural backgrounds, coming together to help victims of this terrible disaster. tom burridge has this report. this shows you how people here feel. everything donated. a diverse community which cares. it's incredible at the moment. everyone is coming together, more people keep coming and helping out, trying to do as much as possible. i can't feel more for london when i feel all these people come together, helping each other in a time of need. people have given so much it's hard to organise.

we are inundated with donations of fresh food, fruit, vegetables, clothes, toys, you name it. we've got it. this is the reception at the sports centre now storing and distributing food. local schools have been touched in their response is to and respond. my mother has helped, taking donations in, she said everything coming in is amazing. everybody has been offering beds, food, toiletries, cloves. i am really proud of everyone, how well we have all chipped in. help keeps on coming. to give you a sense of how the community has reacted, they say pictures speak louder than words. at a mosque, businesses delivering for free. and

words. at a mosque, businesses delivering forfree. and people pitching up. this is generosity defined. it's so terrible that the situation that's happened and we are alljust trying to come together to help everybody, so many families have nothing now. you know, the little that we have we can pass it onto them to make their lives a little bit better. just around the corner from grenfell tower, a wall of messages. what would you write? for something so awful it is hard to express in words. tom burridge, bbc news, in west london. and on that wall, a lot of messages expressing grief and also messages expressing grief and also messages expressing anger. there is the real feeling here that distress, tears, as people look for those still missing, and real anger, as people look for those still missing, and realanger, and as people look for those still missing, and real anger, and people absolutely demanding answers to how

this could have happened. that is the latest from here. back to the studio. in a moment a look at how the financial markets in europe closed the day. but first, the headlines on bbc news. 17 people are now confirmed dead from the fire that swept through a west london tower block, dozens of others are still missing. firefighters reach the top floors, but say there is no hope of finding anyone else alive. but with many people still unaccounted for, the desperate search for friends and relatives continues hello. a look at the markets in europe and a good day for the pound, the highest against the euro in a week but with currency, when it is strong, the stock market is weak and vice versa. we will look more at that in a second. a lot on the

decision to keep uk interest rates ata decision to keep uk interest rates at a quarter of 1%. what is interesting is three of the 8—member monetary policy committee voted to increase rates. that is in the face of rising inflation, but they lost the vote. retail sales were up 0.9% in may, compared with the same time last year. that's not a good number — in the last four years there's only been one other month when growth has been that slow. the office of national statistics says rising prices are putting people off shopping. and back to the stock markets. british mid—caps — that's not the ftse 100 but the broader ftse 250 — had one of their worst one—day drops in nearly a year. let's get detailed analysis of all of this with ben kumar, investment manager, seven investment management. the ftse 250 and the ftse100, a bad

day. why are people nervous? you have a double impact with the strength of sterling, which is bad for the ftse100, which tends to fall because a lot of its revenues are dominated in dollars. a strong pound hurts them and that is the same with about half the companies in the ftse 250. and also people are looking at the ftse 250 and saying the international side is not doing well because of strong sterling and the domestic side is not doing well thanks to people not buying much, so it is not a good day. this graph, it is the decline today, which looks pretty dramatic but over the past year we have seen a pretty dramatic but over the past year we have seen a 20—25% rise in the 250. is that rise coming to an end? it seems to be. it surprised people that the ftse 250 kept

rising. after brexit there was the fear that it would be seen as the domestic uk index and would be crushed, and that has not happened. the uk economy was stronger than people gave it credit for. if the uk economy is turning, that is tough for the 250 to make gains, particularly to keep reaching new highs when the economic situation deteriorates. on interest rates, the bank of england keeping them on hold but three voted to put them up. people are talking about putting up rates this year, when i thought it would be held off until 2019.” think it was 2020 only a few months ago with people saying we'll mark carney ever be in a situation where he has to raise rates? the three who voted our external members, not members of the bank of england, so it needs the bank of england employees to also vote in order for it to be binding. what it means when

the external member leaves next month, there might be one vote less foran month, there might be one vote less for an interest rate rise. but people seem to respond to one bad inflation bit of data very quickly. thanks. a quick look at the markets. the nasdaq is down sharply. technology shares on the way down. that has been the theme this week. people thinking that tech stock share prices are too high. biggest names among the losers, facebook, amazon, katmai caple, microsoft. that is all from me. let's go back to the fire at grenfell tower. earlier my colleague ben brown spoke to natasha green who lives in the area. she's been trying to find her daughter's friend, jessica urbano ramirez. i'm worried aboutjessica. this is my daughter's school friend,

and a friend basically that we know in the area. and she got separated from her mum in the panic in the early hours of the morning. and, obviously, as you can imagine, as her mother, she is frantic. she was told that she was at hospital. she went to hospital, only to find it was the same name but wrong girl, and we're just devastated. and so frantically looking for her. so if anyone, anyone knows her whereabouts, please do inform, please tell the correct numbers. and you've got that poster printed, you're going around pinning that up to walls and notice boards? we're giving it to anyone and everyone we can think of and obviously trying to use the media as well to just get her face out there, because her motherjust needs to find her daughter. and she's 12 years old, jessica, and a friend of your daughter's, you were saying. yes, a school friend of my daughter's, who has also been looking and going on social media and getting the word out there. and they're going round with their friends as well and trying to do as much as they can to just help give any news and information that we can.

and there are so many people in the same position as you, worried about other people, who are still missing. we just don't know what's happened to them. exactly, still unaccounted for. obviously, the mass panic, the smoke. i could see the smoke from my window, and i'm not as close, but the thickness of the smoke is enough to engulf anyone. people's vision... everyone just got separated from their loved ones. it's just a frantic search that you cannot believe in this day and age are still happening. and we are angry. i'm not going to lie. the locals are angry. this could have been prevented. lives didn't need to be lost. and they are lost. people are looking for their children and it's so unfair. it's really unfair! this shouldn't have happened. it's 2017. it's not fair. this is notting hill! and it's just devastating. it really is. i'm sorry. why do you feel it did happen? do you have any idea? because people cut corners. they cut corners.

they were told and they didn't do anything, because they're not going to listen to residents. because they're not of a certain class or they haven't got enough money. and they were ignored. and this is the devastating result. people have had to lose their lives so they can listen. it's not fair. so there is anger here and there is grief and there is anxiety. there is also extraordinary generosity — people giving so much, donating so much. we emptied out the supermarkets yesterday. we made four trips up and down. we even phoned the major supermarkets like tesco's and sainsbury‘s and asked them to donate stuff, which they kindly did. so the residents and the locals, even people coming from different areas. there was a woman i met from croydon that came down with her child to donate stuff. and we're so grateful. because the community spirit has been outstanding, it really has. so for that, out of these tragic circumstances, the unity of people is just amazing. that was natasha greene talking to

ben brown and more from him at 5pm. now let's take a look at the weather. it isa it is a decent evening across the uk. starting with a look at the satellite sequence which shows what has been happening. a weak cold front moving east, and slightly fresher air following behind. sunshine in england and wales but wet weather at times in scotland and northern ireland. showers drifting into northern england but the main focus is the western side of scotla nd focus is the western side of scotland for rain overnight. by dawn tomorrow, not as warm as today. most places seeing temperatures down, but still 12-13 to places seeing temperatures down, but still 12—13 to start friday and it should be a bright start. by sam temperatures getting back up to 15, 16 degrees. dry and bright weather

in england. the western side of wales and north—west of england seeing more cloud. it could produce rain in the northern isles and western scotland. some parts of eastern scotland getting off to a bright start. the western side of scotla nd bright start. the western side of scotland will be the focal point in the morning for wetter weather. some rain in northern ireland. in the south of the uk in the afternoon, looking good. it will be quite warm. even in aberdeenshire getting to 19, 20 degrees. rain in northern scotla nd 20 degrees. rain in northern scotland on friday evening and by friday night, most places dry will stop wetter weather in the west of scotland. by dawn on saturday, after a warm night, 15, 16 degrees for sample. a warm start to the weekend. it will be a warm weekend. away from

the north—west where we will have more of a breeze and rain, winds coming in from a long way south with warm air heading our way. the fresher is to the north of this front, so most of the uk into the warm air. probably getting into the upper 20s in the south—east corner. on sunday, the warmth widespread, away from the far north—west, where there is cloud. 29 degrees in the south—east and probably higher when we head into monday. but it will be warm across wales, further north not so warm across wales, further north not so warm, but a lot of dry weather. today at 5: the prime minister orders a full public inquiry into the fire that destroyed a residential tower block in west london. as the first victim of the fire is named by his family — mohammed alhajali, a 23—year—old syrian refugee — the death toll rises to 17.

we need to know what happened, we need to have an explanation for this. we owe that to the families, to the people who have lost loved ones, friends and the homes in which they lived. theresa may made a private visit to the scene this morning to meet emergency services. the government says it will support the families whose homes were destroyed, with a promise to re—house all those affected by the fire. the faces of some of some of those still unaccounted for, young