London: A 23-year-old Syrian student, who had fled his war-hit country and arrived in the UK three years ago, was today named as the first victim of the west London inferno which killed 17 people.
Mohammed al-Haj Ali, a civil engineering student at West London University, was separated from his older brother Omar on the stairs as they tried to escape the devastating fire that engulfed the 24-storey residential block Grenfell Tower yesterday.
Mr Ali was following Mr Omar but let go after he was overwhelmed by the smoke. He returned alone to their flat on the 14th floor, where he was trapped for over two hours.
Friends and family confirmed that 25-year-old Omar, a business student, made it out alive and is recovering from smoke inhalation in Kings Cross hospital.
"He survived Assad, the war in Syria, only to die in a tower block in London. There are no words," Mr Almashi was quoted as saying by the daily.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May today ordered a full public inquiry into the devastating fire reported at 01:16 AM (local time) yesterday as police said there was little chance of finding any more survivors from the smoldering building.
Nearly 78 people were injured, and 34 remain in hospitals across London - 18 of them in critical condition.
Mohammed al-Haj Ali, a civil engineering student at West London University, was separated from his older brother Omar on the stairs as they tried to escape the devastating fire that engulfed the 24-storey residential block Grenfell Tower yesterday.
Mr Ali was following Mr Omar but let go after he was overwhelmed by the smoke. He returned alone to their flat on the 14th floor, where he was trapped for over two hours.
Friends and family confirmed that 25-year-old Omar, a business student, made it out alive and is recovering from smoke inhalation in Kings Cross hospital.
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"He survived Assad, the war in Syria, only to die in a tower block in London. There are no words," Mr Almashi was quoted as saying by the daily.
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UK Prime Minister Theresa May today ordered a full public inquiry into the devastating fire reported at 01:16 AM (local time) yesterday as police said there was little chance of finding any more survivors from the smoldering building.
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Nearly 78 people were injured, and 34 remain in hospitals across London - 18 of them in critical condition.
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