Grenfell: 255 people escaped deadly blaze, police say
Thirty-two of the fire's 80 victims have been identified but police say that the identity of many others may never be known.
Monday 10 July 2017 21:51, UK
Almost a month after the Grenfell fire police have confirmed that 255 survivors escaped the tower.
Giving an update on the criminal investigation, Scotland Yard said officers still believe that 80 people died in the blaze.
Thirty-two victims have been identified, with 55 post-mortem examinations having taken place.
Detectives say that due to the damage caused by the fire some bodies may never be identified.
Commander Stuart Cundy said officers are painstakingly searching through tons of debris and devastation by hand and, because of this, the recovery will take a significant period of time.
"The devastation that the intense fire left behind is phenomenal," he said.
"We will be doing everything we can as quickly as we can and with as much dignity as we can to recover all those that died in the fire and return them to their loved ones."
Families of those who died are still waiting for answers and have told Sky News of their frustration and anger at the lack of information they have had from police about the criminal inquiry.
Nabil Choucair lost six members of his family in the fire: his sister Nadia, her husband Basim, their three daughters and his mother.
He said his trauma has been compounded by a vacuum of official information.
He said: "We want to know... we're trying to find out everything we can about what last information there is about our family.
"It's very important. It's the only thing that we have left."
Another family member still searching for answers is Karim Mussilhy, whose uncle Hesham Rahman lived on the top floor of the tower.
After trawling through social media for information about what happened, Mr Mussilhy and his family understand Mr Rahman died while comforting two small children.
But they have had no official confirmation of his death and are concerned that the police have not made any arrests or named any suspects as part of the investigation into the blaze.
"We feel like we've been placed in the shadows. We've been given information in dribs and drabs as if they're trying to sedate us," he said.
As the criminal investigation continues, Sky News has seen information given to families about developments in the search.
It shows that 13 sets of remains have been found outside the tower - and from seven of those, six individuals have so far been identified.
From the stairwell and lift lobbies, 10 recoveries of remains have been made - all from the 9th floor and above.
In one flat on the 22nd floor, 13 sets of remains have been discovered - they are still unidentified.
While police believe around 80 people died in the tragedy, families affected by the fire believe the death toll is much higher.