Grenfell Tower fire: Police identify five victims of blaze

Four more victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington have been named by the Metropolitan Police.

Anthony Disson, 65, Ya-Haddy Sisi Saye, 24, also known as Khadija Saye, and Abufars Ibrahim, 39, all died when the 24-storey high rise caught fire shortly before 01:00 BST on 13 June.

Khadija Khalloufi - a 52-year-old woman - was also identified as one of the victims.

A total of 79 people are either dead or missing presumed dead, police said.

Commander Stuart Cundy confirmed the figure in a statement on Monday, adding it may still change.

Mohammad Alhajali, 23, was the first victim to be formally identified.

Of those who were injured, 18 people remain in hospital, with nine in critical care.

Mr Disson was a retired lorry driver who lived on the 22nd floor of the tower.

He lived in the property for eight years and phoned his son at 03:30, saying he was being told to stay in his flat.

His family released a statement saying they were "devastated" at the news.

"Tony leaves behind a large family, his wife, sons and grandchildren, including one grandchild he will never get to meet," they said.

"We miss him terribly, and are pulling together as a family and trying to stay strong under these tragic circumstances. We ask at this time that our family are left to grieve in private."

Ms Saye's death was first talked about after Labour MP David Lammy posted a tribute on Twitter, but this is the first time the police have confirmed it.

The artist and photographer lived on the 20th floor with her mother, Mary Mendy, who is missing.

Mr Lammy's wife was Ms Saye's employer and mentor and she had been filmed for a BBC documentary.

Many of the families that were affected lost more than one relative, said Cdr Cundy, adding that his "heart went out to them".

Cdr Cundy said his priority was to identify the people who died in the building and to remove them as quickly as possible.

But he warned that not everyone would be identifiable and the operation would take "many, many weeks".

"This is an incredibly distressing time for families," he said. "It is really hard to describe the devastation the fire caused.

"What is important for me is to find answers for those families who have been directly affected."

Cdr Cundy said there may have been people inside the building that they did not know were there, but there also could be people who were reported missing and managed to escape.

He urged those people to make themselves known to the authorities.

A minute's silence was held at 11:00 BST across the UK to remember the victims.

Earlier, police released new images from inside the 24-storey building to show the scale of the challenge they face.

The police investigation will be "wide ranging", according to the Met, looking at the construction of the building, the recent refurbishment, how it was managed and maintained, and fire safety measures.

"I would like to reassure everybody that we will be looking at all criminal offences that might have been committed by any individual or any organisation," said Cdr Cundy.

"Where offences have been committed, I will do everything in my gift to make sure they are brought to justice."

The government has sent in a team of civil servants to to help with the relief effort.

The prime minister has also announced a £5m fund to help those families affected.

Each household that has lost their home will receive at least £500 in cash and £5,000 paid into an account.

The fund will also:

A number of figures have faced criticism for their handling of the disaster, including Theresa May - who didn't meet survivors in the immediate aftermath - and Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown said he understood residents' anger and that the authority itself wanted to know why the fire had started and spread so quickly - but it was too big for one council to handle alone.

Watch Panorama - London Tower Fire: Britain's Shame on Monday 19 June at 20:30 BST on BBC One and afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

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