LONDON: A man has been hailed as a hero after catching a young girl whose mother threw her from the window of Grenfell Tower as it burned.
The four-year-old is safe and uninjured after a brave man called Pat, who lives in a low-rise block next to the tower, caught her “like a rugby ball tucked in his chest” from the fifth floor.
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However, witnesses fear the worst for her mother, as the flat was engulfed in flames seconds after the small child was thrown out.
Resident Kadelia Woods, 20, told The Sun: “The mum had the little girl’s head wrapped in a towel and was holding her out of the window and was screaming for help. The fire was raging like crazy. It was about 2am and the flat was filled with smoke.
“My neighbour Pat, who’s in his 40s, was calling up to her shouting, ‘Drop her, don’t worry I’ll catch her’. The mum was screaming, ‘No, no, I can’t, I can’t’.
“Pat kept reassuring her and then the girl just dropped. Everyone’s hearts stopped as she fell. We were all fearing the worst.
“But Pat managed to catch her like a rugby ball tucked in his chest and he just clung on to her.
“She had a pink dressing gown on and she was just screaming hysterically for her mum. The paramedics were trying to put an oxygen mask on her but she was just screaming and screaming. I don’t think her mum survived. When I looked up again the whole floor was on fire.”
It is thought Pat got injured while helping people from the tower and was treated in hospital.
Community leaders told the tabloid they thought the mother of the rescued child died in the fire.
30 dead, but death toll like to rise in Grenfell Tower fire
It has been confirmed that the Grenfell Tower fire killed at least 30 people, including one who died in hospital, police have said.
Commander Stuart Cundy said 12 bodies were in the mortuary but a others remained in the burnt-out high rise.
He said the number of dead was likely to rise further.
"The investigation will look at what criminal offences may have been committed," Cundy said, adding that the flat where the fire started had been examined and there was nothing to suggest it had been started deliberately.
"It is going to take a considerable period of time to fully work through Grenfell Tower over the coming weeks," he said.
Cundy was heckled by residents shouting questions about why residents had not been told the number of people missing. He listened and attempted to answer.
Addressing anger at the incomplete death toll, Cundy added: "What is important for me is I will only say something that I know to be true. Sadly, I do believe those numbers who have died will increase. As soon as we can we will share that with the families and wider community."
He said it was difficult to know how many were missing.
Family liaison officers were with 36 families and there was an ongoing process to establish an accurate figure. He said everyone in hospital had been identified and their families were aware.
At least 24 people are being treated in hospital, 12 are in a critical condition. Cundy also reiterated requests for family members to get in touch if they were still unsure what had happened. He said police officers would speak to relatives.
The fire brigade said there were no fires within the building but conditions were still hazardous.
