INSIDE TOWER TOMB
Grenfell Tower police release harrowing new footage from inside flats showing charred beds and kitchen appliances once used by families before horror blaze
THESE are the harrowing first official images showing the charred remains of flats inside Grenfell Tower — which the top investigator said "verge on the indescribable".
Destroyed beds and furniture reduced to ash show the deadly power of the inferno that swept through the West London block on Wednesday.
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Footage and photographs were released by Scotland Yard as investigators continue to go through the chilling task of identifying victims.
At least 79 people are presumed dead but a higher figure will be released tomorrow.
Metropolitan Police Cdr Stuart Cundy said: "I have always said I will be accurate about what I know, so the next figure of those presumed dead and missing will be released tomorrow, Monday, 19 June."
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He added: "The figure will be higher but I do not wish to speculate on that number today.
"The images released today have been taken inside flats where police know that everyone inside has been accounted for a resident of each flat notified by police of the release of the material."
Taken by a specialist police recovery team, video pans through a gutted flat where the intense blaze destroyed internal walls and melted appliances.
A photo shows a shellshocked firefighter looking on with a stunned yet sombre expression as he takes in the carnage around the entrance to the doomed tower.
The conditions due to the fire damage verge on indescribable, which is why this will be such a lengthy operation taking weeks to complete
Cdr Staurt Cundy
"It is really important that we are clear about the scale of the challenge facing us as our teams search Grenfell Tower to recover those people still inside and return them to their loved ones", Cdr Cundy said.
"Whilst our teams have been from the bottom to the top of the tower, we must now carry out a full forensic and systematic search.
"The conditions due to the fire damage verge on indescribable, which is why this will be such a lengthy operation taking weeks to complete.
"We must also prepare people for the terrible reality that some people may not be identified due to the intensity of the fire.
“Family liaison officers are supporting families, and that includes those people we know to be dead; some of those who are critically ill and sadly those people who we have been told were in Grenfell Tower that night who we have been unable to trace.
“Work has been ongoing throughout the night and continues today, so we can get as good an understanding as possible about who we believe to be still missing."
Last week, images taken on the morning of the disaster swept across social media.
Some showed fires still raging in flats and panicked residents rushing to escape the horror.
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As the latest distressing images are revealed, homeless survivors were today promised a minimum £5,500 Government payout.
Downing Street announced the aid money — to be paid into bank accounts out of a £5million relief fund tomorrow — after victims told of getting just £10 a day so far.
Earlier, Theresa May admitted support in the immediate aftermath of the fire “was not good enough” after meeting victims.
And Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed that cheap cladding believed to have been used on the tower is BANNED on high-rise buildings.
Experts say the composite material spurred on the blaze and acted like a chimney to draw flames up the 24-storey tower with horrifying speed.
What we know so far:
- At least 79 people are presumed dead but the death toll is feared to be more than 100
- The first victims have been named as Syrian refugee Mohammed Al Haj Ali, 23, and 24-year-old Khadija Saye
- The Prime Minister has promised a full public inquiry into the disaster and police have launched a criminal investigation
- The blaze on Wednesday night is thought to have been sparked by a faulty fridge but police don't believe the fire was started deliberately
- Experts warned the fire was spread by cladding panels which are fitted to countless buildings across Britain
- Residents were seen jumping from upper floors in scenes reminiscent of September 11 and horrified witnesses told of babies being thrown from windows by desperate mothers
- It was revealed the block had only recently undergone a £10million refurb and still had no sprinkler system installed - but designers insisted the refurbishment work complied with building regulations
- Residents raised safety concerns four years ago, but were ignored
- Celebrities and ordinary Londoners have united to provide food, clothes, money and shelter for survivors
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