Offences including corporate manslaughter probed in London's Grenfell Tower fire

LONDON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A public inquiry heard Monday that the Metropolitan Police are investigating offences including misconduct in public office, breaches of fire safety regulations, manslaughter and corporate manslaughter in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 71 people in June.

The two-day hearing session will focus on case management issues, such as time frames, witnesses and the disclosure of evidence.

Jeremy Johnson, counsel for the Metropolitan police, told the hearing Monday that during six months after the fire, around 31 million documents had been obtained. A total of 187 officers and civilian staff were working on the police investigation.

Nearly 4,000 separate lines of inquiry had been generated by the witness statements and documents examined so far, Johnson said.

The inquiry plans to deliver an interim report into the fire's causes and the emergency response in 2018.

Lawyers representing victims and survivors of the deadly fire told the hearing that "survivors and the bereaved must be placed at the centre" of the inquiry process.

It is emerged that many survivors are still homeless after six months. BBC reported that only 42 of the 208 families needing rehousing due to the blaze have so far been moved to permanent homes.

Survivors' group Grenfell United said 118 families would still be in emergency accommodation over Christmas or staying with friends.

The government has promised after the fire that all those affected would be rehoused within three weeks. Enditem