British officials to help Syrian family of London fire victim to come to UK

British officials say they are helping the Syrian family of the first officially confirmed victim of the London tower blaze to come to Britain following the deadly blaze.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

18 June, 2017

The 23-year-old is the only victim of the fire to be officially named [Facebook]

Britain is helping helping the Syrian family of the first officially confirmed victim of the London tower blaze to come to Britain, officials said on Saturday.

The Home Office said it will make arrangements for the family of Mohammad al-Haj Ali to "travel to the UK in these terribly sad circumstances".

The 23-year-old al-Haj Ali is the only victim of the Grenfell Tower fire to be officially named as the difficult process of identifying human remains continues.

His family said in a statement that Al-Haj Ali "came to the UK because he had ambitions and aims for his life and for his family".

Al-Haj Ali, a civil engineering student at the University of West London, fled his hometown of Daraa in Syria three years ago and was granted asylum in the UK.

"He survived Assad, the war in Syria, only to die in a tower block in London. There are no words," Abdulaziz al-Mashi, a friend of the family, told the Telegraph.

He lived on the 14th floor of the Grenfell Tower and was in his flat with his brother Omar when the fire broke out.

The two were separated during the chaotic evacuation of the building and only Omar survived.

The local Syrian community held a vigil to remember their friend on Wednesday night.

One person wrote: "You are in our hearts Mohammad al-Haj Ali, wherever you may be".

Police say at least 58 people are either confirmed or presumed dead as a result of the inferno, with the figure likely to rise in coming days. Other victims have been named by their families.

Agencies contributed to this report.