London Metropolitan Police have said 79 people are dead or missing presumed dead after the devastating tower block blaze last week.
Met Commander Stuart Cundy said the toll from the Grenfell Tower blaze could still change but probably not as much as it had in recent days. He also said that five people reported missing had now been found safe and well.
He told reporters the “awful reality” was that due to the intensity of the fire and the devastation it had caused, it may not be possible to identify all of the victims.
Some families have lost more than one member, he said, adding that his “heart went out to them”.
Cundy fought back tears as he told reporters about the scene inside the gutted 24-storey tower in north Kensington.
“It is incredibly emotional working in there, but we will do it with our utmost professionalism, and we will do everything we can as quickly as we can to locate and recover everybody who is in there,” Cundy said.
When asked whether the death toll was likely to increase further, he said: “Today I know there are 79 people who are either confirmed dead and have been identified, or are missing and sadly I have to presume are dead. I do think there will be some change to that number.
"The work we are doing is about trying to find those people to see if they are safe and well. Thankfully, over the last few days, we have identified five people who people believed were missing, are safe and well.”
A minute's silence will be held across all government buildings to remember the people who lost their lives and all those affected by the fire last week.