In the al Manar mosque in the vicinity of the gutted Grenfell Tower, a Somali man is crying inconsolably while reading sacred verses from his mobile, media people have taken siege of the area closest to the charred, smouldering Tower, as close to the building as they can go.

This is the area of Caribbean revelry in summer but now, two days after, the sickly smell of fire-consumed building material lingers, volunteer workers form human chains, cheering passing firefighters, the atmosphere is widely, but solemnly, carnival.

The mood is of stupefaction, bewildered looks in faces, anger. "People have been talking about this wide metropolis, impersonal," declares a TV anchor, in his third or fourth take before the camera.

He goes on to say what many have now, that people regardless of religion or colour have answered the call. Churches have opened doors, the mosque is a relief centre, one person I meet has come from Sussex in the south coast, to volunteer.

On the manicured lawn of one of the low-rise housing estates that surround the tower the wind is billowing and spinning debris that came down from Grenfell.

It is a bizarre sight, dark and charred shreds, spinning in the whirl of breeze in this wind tunnel in a sort of danse macabre. "Look," an angry Caribbean lady says to me. "That's the cladding, it's polystyrene." I pick one up the size of a fist, light as a feather, it crumbles into ashes in my hand.

The number of deaths has so far been low. By late afternoon on Thursday it has been put at 17 but people are quietly saying that it will rise higher than a hundred, probably more.

Patel (he will not give me his full name) comes from Wembley in north London. I catch him gesturing in a Hindu prayer while looking at the dark shell of the former Tower. "It is impossible that in a fire that covered almost the entire building the number could be so low," he says.

Another TV anchor gesticulates and expresses words before a camera. "The question is, how did this happen?" he says.

Stronger words have been expressed by the singer Lily Allen who used to live in the area. She said that the government was "trying to micro-manage" the figures. These were her words said in an interview with Channel 4's Jon Snow:

"Seventeen? I'm sorry but I'm hearing from people that the figure is much closer to 150, and that many of those people are children. Those are off the record numbers I've been given from the policemen and from firemen."

Soon after saying that she was pulled out from her appearance on Newsnight BBC 2 news programme. "They have someone from the council instead," she Twitted.

Hopes are still running high even in the most hopeless of situations. Many posters with pictures taken in happier times simply say, "Missing" and asking people who have information to contact telephone numbers. I meet a couple of people just walking about with the picture of a smiling young girl pinned to their T-shirts. "Have you seen Jessica Urbano?" the caption says. "Missing from the Grenfell Tower fire (14 June 2017)"

In a warehouse just yards from the al Manar mosque, boxes are piled high by volunteers. Women volunteers easily outnumber men around the mosque, packing boxes and labeling them before storage. "Children's Toys", "Children's Clothes", "Nappies."

This is the Muslim Aid relief centre. They tell me that they are not taking any more stuff. "We have more than enough already here."

At the Notting Hill Methodist Church I meet Rowena, a young Malaysian volunteer. She is Muslim by the way. "What we are short of now is prayer mats and prayer shawls," she says. A note on the notice board mentions them too and more: ladies' scarves, men's underwear, new pyjamas, phone chargers.

London's Labour Mayor comes to visit and is heckled by a very young boy sitting on an adult's shoulders. "What are you going to do?" he keeps asking. Grenfell Tower is under the charge of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, a Conservative run council and probably the richest of London's boroughs.

There is now talk of neglect, poor fire safety provisions, inadequate care, of the Tower being fitted with cladding that is banned in the US. This North Kensington area is an anomaly, an enclave of low income people, immigrants mostly, surrounded by the wealth of Notting Hill.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron used to be a Notting Hiller as did the former Newsnight star Jeremy Paxman. People speak about the community spirit that now prevails. It is the spirit of a besieged community that has seen more and more of its patch gentrified. There were refurbished flats in Grenfell Tower in estate agents' windows with the asking rent of £2000/month.

Prime Minister Theresa May also visited on Thursday but it was a private consultation with fireworkers and emergency service personnel. She does not meet or speak to the locals. From what has happened to the much admired Sadiq Khan it is easy to understand why.

-- BERNAMA