The first victim of the Grenfell Tower fire has been named as Syrian refugee Mohammad al-Haj Ali, whom grieving friends say "came here for a better life" but the UK "failed him".

Mohammed al-Haj Ali, a civil engineering student at the University of West London, was separated from his older brother Omar on the stairs as they tried to escape the inferno engulfing the 24-storey block.

The 23-year-old was behind Omar but after was overwhelmed by the smoke.

He returned alone to their flat on the 14th floor, where he was trapped for two hours. He made phonecalls to friends and family at home in war-torn Syria before sending one final message that read: "The fire is here now, goodbye".

Friends confirmed Omar, a 25-year-old business student, made it out alive and is recovering from smoke inhalation in Kings Cross hospital. However, Mohammed was lost in the chaos and has not been heard from since.