LONDON

Grenfell Tower in west London, the site of a deadly fire that killed 72 people nearly eight years ago, will be taken down, the British government announced on Friday.

The decision to "carefully" take down the derelict apartment block came after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner met with bereaved families and survivors of the disaster.

The demolition will be completed in two years, according to a government statement.

"The government is committed to taking the next steps respectfully and carefully," it said.

It added: "It is clear from conversations it remains a sacred site. It is also clear that there is not a consensus about what should happen to it."

Grenfell United, a group formed by survivors and bereaved families of the fire, earlier this week called the demolition decision a "disgrace and unforgivable," after preliminary reports.

They said the decision has been made without listening to views of the survivors and bereaved families.

On June 14, 2017, the 24-story housing tower — with its mainly working-class and minority ethnic residents — burned for 60 hours, killing 72 people with more than 70 injured.

The tragedy was the deadliest structural fire in the UK since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since World War II, during the Nazi Blitz.