The west London MC claims rising death toll is “corporate manslaughter.”

Akala has spoken out following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, in which at least 17 people are confirmed to have died and more fatalities are expected.

The north Kensington tower block caught fire yesterday morning (June 14), with the cause of the blaze still unknown.

“The people who died and lost their homes, this happened to them because they are poor,” said the MOBO award-winning artist, who resides in the area, in an interview with Channel 4.

He continued: “We are in one of the richest spaces, not just in London, but in the world. Repeated requests were ignored. There is no way that rich people live in a building without adequate fire safety. Everyone I spoke to who was out there couldn’t hear alarms and there was no sprinkler system.”

Local resident Joe Delaney, who managed to escape the fire and also help some of his neighbours to escape, confirmed Akala’s claim that there were “no alarms”.

The company responsible for managing the Grenfell Tower, Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) contracted the £10m refurbishment of Grenfell to a private construction firm, Rydon.

The outside of the 24-story building had a polyethylene core, instead of a more fireproof mineral core, which was installed during the refurbishment.

In a tweet posted earlier this morning, Akala called the tragedy “corporate manslaughter.”

Adele was also seen visiting the Grenfell Tower last night, while Rita Ora posted on Instagram: “This is my neighbourhood, I can’t believe this is happening. My prayers are with everybody involved my heart is beating so fast. I used to play in that block – I want to do all I can do to help.”

There are several ways you can help donate money to the people who have lost their homes.

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