London: Police say 87 bodies have been found in the "apocalyptic" wreck of Grenfell Tower - but they still fear the inferno claimed more lives, and some of the dead may not be found before Christmas.
The last of the visible bodies of people killed in London's Grenfell Tower inferno were taken from the gutted building on Monday and transferred to the local mortuary – three weeks since the tragedy.
Chief coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox told survivors and the families of the dead that conditions inside the building were "apocalyptic", and the "recovery phase" could last until the end of the year.
The police said they had made 87 "recoveries" of human remains, though due to the catastrophic damage from the fire they cannot be sure this corresponds to 87 people until it is confirmed by coronial experts.
And information from survivors and families led police to believe there are more human remains inside the building which could take many months to recover, commander Stuart Cundy said on Wednesday.
Police have not been able to find survivors from 23 of the 129 flats in the tower – and assume that everyone in those flats died - so they cannot be sure who was living there or who may have been visiting on the night of the fire.
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About 250 investigators are still working on the police operation following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower on June 14. It is one of the biggest investigations in the Met's history.
On Tuesday night police and Dr Wilcox met with families and loved ones of those dead, or missing and presumed dead in the fire, to update them on the progress of the search and recovery operation, as well as the investigation into how and why the fire started and spread.
"I completely understand their desire for answers and we are committed to providing as much information as we can, as soon as we can," Commander Cundy said.
Just 21 of the people who died at Grenfell Tower have been formally identified.
"Work in Grenfell Tower continues, seven days a week," he said. "Specialist officers, supported by expert anthropologists, have started a search by hand of the devastation left behind by the fire. This will involve us meticulously going through about 15.5 tonnes of debris on each floor to find those human remains that are still within the debris inside Grenfell Tower.
"We will use all the information we have, especially what we have been told by survivors and families, to prioritise our search where we believe we may find more human remains. This will take us many months, but we will search each and every flat.
"We are absolutely determined to do all we can as quickly as we can to return all those who are in Grenfell Tower to their loved ones. However, as I've said before such is the devastation caused by the fire it may be that tragically we cannot find or identify all those who lost their lives."
Detectives are still asking members of the public to come forward with information about who was in the building that night, who survived and who is still missing.
"Tragically, there are still 23 flats where despite our investigative efforts we have been unable to trace or speak to anyone who was in those properties on the night," Commander Cundy said. "We assume that sadly no one from any of those flats survived. Until our search operation is complete, I cannot say with any certainty how many people may have been in those flats, as occupiers or visitors, that night."
Survivors and relatives told the media the two-hour meeting with police had been very upsetting, with several leaving before it was over, angry that the recovery process was taking so long. Some survivors were angry at the accommodation being offered, saying it did not match their needs for size or schooling options.
Father-of-two Mahad Egal, who escaped the fire with his family, told the BBC he was staying with friends because the hotel room they were offered was too small for four people. They have been offered a property in a different borough but he was worried they could not afford the rent.
"It is not within my borough or the area we feel safe," he told the BBC. "To get out of an area which I have known for 25 years is hard. I am trying to be as flexible as I can.
"We are already going through an undignified struggle, the crisis, the trauma... how much more do we need to bend our back before the local authority and government start pulling up their socks and start doing what they are supposed to be doing for the citizens of this country?"
On Wednesday, the government announced it was sending in a taskforce to take over the local council's housing department, as well as some other operations related to the fire aftermath.
The council has come in for heavy criticism over its response, as well as its history of dealing with housing safety. The council leader and chief executive have resigned.
Kensington and Chelsea Council's new leader, Elizabeth Campbell, welcomed the move, saying "the unprecedented scale of this incident makes it impossible for one organisation to cope on its own".
