Tower block fire: Police hope number of dead won't reach triple figures as PM announces public inquiry
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Paul Davies
A Metropolitan Police commander has refused to comment on speculation that the eventual death toll from the Grenfell Tower blaze would reach triple figures, telling reporters, "I really hope it isn't".
Stuart Cundy also said that some victims of the London tower block fire may never be identified.
Responding to the theories on the total number of dead, Mr Cundy's voice cracked as he told reporters: "From a personal perspective, I really hope it isn't, for those of us that have been down there, it's pretty emotional, so I hope it is not triple figures, but I can't be drawn on the numbers."
He said that police believe that the confirmed number of deaths "will sadly increase" from the current figure of 17.
Six bodies have so far been recovered from the gutted tower, while 11 have been located inside but cannot yet be removed.
The police's casualty bureau received around 5,000 calls on Wednesday and around 400 people were reported missing - but Mr Cundy downplayed the figure, saying it added up to more people than actually lived in the block.
One person was reported missing 46 times, he added.
He spoke following the announcement of a public inquiry into the disaster today by Prime Minister Theresa May.
Mrs May made the announcement after visiting emergency teams at the scene.
"We need to know what happened, we need to know an explanation," she said at 10 Downing Street following the visit.
"We owe that to the families, to the people who have lost loved ones and the homes in which they lived.
"That is why I am ordering a full public inquiry so that we can get to the answers, we can find out exactly what happened."
An "unknown numbers" of bodies remain in the 1970s-built, 24-storey tower in north Kensington, London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said on Thursday.
She warned that the recovery operation could take weeks.
A criminal investigation has also been launched amid increasing political pressure that those involved in the building's recent £8.6 million redevelopment should face prosecution.
Anyone concerned about family and friends can contact the Metropolitan Police casualty bureau on 0800 0961 233