Grenfell Tower victims killed ‘within seconds by cyanide gas,’ prof tells RT (VIDEO)

Victims of the Grenfell Tower fire may been killed by highly toxic gases emitted by the building’s external cladding as it burned, experts suggest.

According to Professor of Environmental Toxicology at Leeds University Alastair Hay, burning fabrics release two deadly gasses, namely cyanide and carbon monoxide.

Those who found themselves trapped inside the North Kensington tower block last week as the inferno spread would have had “no chance whatsoever” of surviving because of the “very high concentration” of such gasses, the professor claims. 

“If the concentration [of cyanide] was very high, they would have no chance whatsoever, because cyanide can kill really within a matter of seconds,” Hay told RT.

“What it essentially does is block oxygen use in your cells” causing the person to become “immobile” and “die from a heart attack very quickly.”

Equally, a high level of carbon monoxide would also cause a “very quick” death.

“Most often it is the gases that kill people […] before they are exposed to flames,” Hay said.

At least 79 people are believed to be dead after the fire engulfed the 24-story building, thought to have the capacity to accommodate up to 600 people. The death toll is expected to rise.