{UAH} Every Grenfell fire victim injured in hospital has been identified - but names of some of dead may NEVER be known
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Every Grenfell fire victim injured in hospital has been identified - but names of some of dead may NEVER be known
Commander Stuart Cundy's voice broke when questioned over the possibility the number of dead might rise into 'triple figures' - as ID challenge is compared to 2006 Asian tsunami
The police chief in charge of the Grenfell Tower blaze investigation has revealed some of the victims may NEVER be identified because of the ferocity of the fire.
Commander Stuart Cundy struggled to keep his composure when questioned whether number of casualties could reach 'triple figures'.
So far 17 people have been confirmed dead - of which six have been identified.
The Metropolitan Police revealed this evening the names of ALL of those lying injured in hospital have been officially recognised - after families complained they were struggling to trace loved ones.
The families of the 16 who remain in a critical condition, as well as others in hospital with less serious injuries, are all now aware, a police spokesman told the Mirror on Thursday evening.
But many people remain missing and Mr Cundy earlier warned the identities of some of the victims may never be established.
When asked about the possible number of victims, he said: "I think it's really difficult.
"There are 120 flats of multi-occupancy, say it was three people in each flat there would be 360 people.
"Do I think it's double or triple figures? I can say there are 17, I just don't know? I'd like to hope it's not triple figures, I don't think it's inevitable."
He continued: "From a personal perspective I really hope it isn't. For those of us who have been down there it is pretty emotional.
"The local authority has provided us with a list of who they had as residents but it may bear no resemblance to who was there on that night.
"I cannot give out a figure for how many people we think are missing at this stage because we simply don't know and it would be wrong to speculate.
"An incident like this because of the identification is very different to London Bridge, it may be, and I just don't know, that some victims remain unidentified.
"I don't know that until we have done the full search of the whole building, we could be talking weeks, we could be talking months.
"The coroner is really keen that we as quickly as we can tell family members when someone is identified."
A police spokesman said the casualty bureau is being staffed 24/7 and has taken 5,000 calls so far.
Around 200 trained staff from the Met supported from police officers and staff from seven other forces around the country are taking calls.
Superintendent Fiona McCormack said people were being identified using dental records, fingerprints and DNA in the first instance.
Other, secondary, identification features are also taken into consideration, such as tattoos and scars.
Once a preliminary identification has been made, trained liaison officers are deployed to support families.
She said: "It is hugely important that we identify the right people and repatriate them to their families.
"We will take time and we will do it properly, but we are working as quickly as we can."
Ms McCormack compared the challenge trying to identify the victims of the Grenfell Tower Fire to the Asian tsunami of 2006.
She said: "In the Asian tsunami we were able to declare people dead without ever recovering the body so there are protocols, we have got to exhaust every avenue to identity them first an if we cannot we go back to the coroner and explain that they were definitely in there and never came out.'
"The big problem is the safety of the building we have had to pull out some of our team today because the fire restarted."
Police revealed that 5,000 initial calls came in reporting people missing and in one case a person was reported missing 46 times
Firefighters were also revealed to have rescued 68 people on the night.
Mr Cundy's voice at one stage cracked as he spoke to reporters about the emotional toll the disaster had taken on him.
He confirmed the bodies of six people have been recovered and are at Westminster mortuary and 11 remain inside the building.
"Some of the bodies of those who have died are in safer bits of the building that we can recover," he said of the others.
"It may be that some of them we can recover today, some over the coming days but when we get to the more challenging floors the more higher up you go, I would not like to get drawn on how long that will take."
Every victim currently being treated in hospital has now been identified and reunited with their families, detective superintendent Fiona McCormack added.
Meanwhile, a forensic expert warned investigators face a stash of complications to identify those caught up in the disaster.
Peter Vanezis, who is professor of forensic medical sciences at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, said difficulties in locating the bodies among the charred remains will likely provide the first hurdle for detectives.
The condition of bodies - left inside the burning 24-storey west London block for more than 24 hours before the blaze was extinguished - will also present added challenges as relatives wait for news on their loved ones.
Professor Vanezis said: "Identification may take some weeks or even months in some cases because of the state of some of the remains and families need to be updated as to progress on a regular basis and supported at all times.
"Furthermore it will probably be some time before all victims are located due to the sheer difficulty of fire fighters working in a building which is unsafe and will require a meticulous search of the debris.
"An identification commission is set up to ensure correct identification before victims are released.
"Most deaths in enclosed house fire are unconscious or dead from inhalation of carbon monoxide and other fire fumes before burning of the body occurs."
Police urged anyone who is still concerned about a missing loved one to visit the reception area at the Westway Sports Centre, west London, or ring the casualty bureau on 0800 0961 233.
Those who have reported a friend or relative as missing but since been reunited with them are also asked to get in touch with police.
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