The first victim of the London fire has been identified as a 23-year-old student.

The first victim identified after the tragic Grenville Tower fire in London on Wednesday morning is Syrian refugee Mohammed al-Haj Ali.

The 23-year-old fled his hometown of Daraa in Syria three years ago and was studying civil engineering at the University of West London.

“He survived Assad, the war in Syria, only to die in a tower block in London. There are no words,” Abdulaziz al-Mashi, a friend of Ali’s family, told The Telegraph.

Abdulaziz said the aspiring engineer came to London “for a better life” but the “country failed him”.

It’s reported Mohammed was following his brother Omar, 25, out of the apartment block when the fire started but became overwhelmed by the smoke on the stairs.

He returned to their 14th floor apartment where he made phone calls to friends and family.

Two hours later he sent a message that read: “The fire is here now, goodbye”.

According to The Telegraph, Omar made it out of the fire safely and is recovering from smoke inhalation at Kings Cross hospital.

At least 17 people are confirmed dead following the tragedy. Police are expecting this number to rise above 100 and are predicting many of the victims will be unidentifiable.