London mayor heckled by angry residents during visit to burnt tower block

London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan was heckled by residents on Thursday (June 15) as he spoke during a visit to the scene of a fire that gutted a 24-storey apartment block killing at least 17 people. Photo grabbed from Reuters video file.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan (from Reuters video file)

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) – London Mayor Sadiq Khan was heckled by residents on Thursday (June 15) as he spoke during a visit to the scene of a fire that gutted a 24-storey apartment block killing at least 17 people.

As he delivered his remarks live on television, Khan was repeatedly interrupted by frustrated residents.

He began his news conference by stating: “Understandably the residents are very angry and have genuine questions that demand answers..,” but was cut off by a woman shouting off camera: “Someone needs to be held accountable. These deaths could have been prevented.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised a public inquiry into the fire, as the government faced questions about how such a devastating blaze could have occurred.

Smoke was still wafting out of the blackened shell of the Grenfell Tower on Thursday where specialist firefighters and dog search teams faced hazardous conditions as they scoured the wreck, with external cladding still falling from the building.