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Article snippet: LONDON — With the death toll from a horrific London fire rising and many residents still unaccounted for, Prime Minister Theresa May — under pressure from critics — on Thursday ordered a formal inquiry into the disaster that turned an apartment tower into a smoldering ruin. At least 17 people are known to have died in the blaze at Grenfell Tower, which began in the predawn darkness on Wednesday, but that figure is certain to climb, the authorities warned. As of late Thursday afternoon, 30 people remained in hospitals, including 10 in critical condition. A senior police official, Commander Stuart Cundy, said of the death toll, “I’d like to hope that it isn’t going to be triple figures.” Even as investigators with search dogs combed what is left of the building, safety inspectors were conducting checks at other high-rises. Grenfell Tower, in the North Kensington neighborhood, housed people from many countries, including Eritrea, the Philippines, Somalia and Sudan. Relatives and friends of the missing have posted pleas on social media seeking information. “We realize that a lot of people are still incredibly concerned about their loved ones who are still unaccounted for and our priority is to do the best for those waiting for news of their relatives and friends,” the London Fire Brigade commissioner, Dany Cotton, said in a statement on Thursday. Among the key questions confronting investigators and government officials: Did a policy of telling people to remain in th... Link to the full article to read more