THE Grenfell Tower death toll has risen to 79 after police officially identified three more victims.
Twenty-four-year-old artist Khadija Saye, also known as Ya-Haddy Sisi Saye, is among the fatalities confirmed by Scotland Yard six days on from the unprecedented blaze.
Fellow residents Abufars Ibrahim, 39, and 65-year-old Anthony Disson are now also known to be among the dead.
Another victim – a woman aged 52 – was also identified, but her name was not released at the request of her family.
Commander Stuart Cundy confirmed the revised total figure in a statement yesterday, but cautioned: “The awful reality is that we may not be able to identify all those that died.”
Cundy fought back tears, telling reporters the operation had been “incredibly emotional”, adding: “On Saturday I went in myself and went to the top floor. It is incredibly hard to describe the devastation in some parts of that building.”
He added: “I have investigated major crime for most of my service and I have seen some terrible things. But I don’t think anything prepared me for what I was going to see when I was in there.
“It’s hard to describe my feelings, because I cannot imagine, and I would not want to put myself in the position of those families who have lost their loved ones.
“But we will do it with our utmost professionalism and we will do everything we can as quickly as we can to locate everybody who is in there.”
Syrian refugee Mohammad Alhajali, 23, was the first victim to be formally identified.
Of those who were injured, 18 people remain in hospital, with nine in critical care. The rest of the residents are missing, presumed dead.
In a statement, Disson’s family said: “Tony leaves behind a large family, his wife, sons and grandchildren, including one grandchild he will never get to meet.
“We miss him terribly, and are pulling together as a family and trying to stay strong under these tragic circumstances. We ask at this time that our family are left to grieve in private.”
Cundy said police had received 70 pictures and videos of the fire from the public and urged people to send more as officers investigate the blaze.
He would not discuss the specifics of the criminal investigation into the fire, including whether anyone had been arrested or raids carried out.
He said 250 investigators were now working on the case.
Theresa May was due to chair a meeting of the Grenfell Tower Taskforce yesterday afternoon to drive forward the official response to the tragedy.
Downing Street confirmed that several London boroughs had come together in a Gold Command structure to co-ordinate assistance to those affected. The move came after the Prime Minister conceded initial support was “not good enough”.
Asked whether May had considered resigning over the issue, a spokeswoman said: “These are incredibly challenging times, with a couple of terrible incidents in a week, and she is leading the country through this difficult time.”
Rejecting calls from Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn to requisition empty homes near the site for affected families, Downing Street said: “We do not support proposals to seize private property. Our focus is on rehousing people as soon as we can.”
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