Grenfell Tower fire: At least 130 high-rise residents still missing, says neighbour

Death toll 'downplayed' by authorities, claim survivors

At least 130 people are missing and feared dead after the Grenfell Tower blaze, a resident of a neighbouring building has said.

Officials said on Wednesday afternoon that at least 80 people are presumed to have died in the fire at the 24-story tower, but the final death toll may not be known for months.

And residents of nearby housing blocks, Amanda Fernandez and Jamal Williams, said they believed the death toll had been “downplayed” by authorities.

Ms Fernandez, who was evacuated from the Lancaster West Estate Walkway block next to the tower, calculated that 130 or more people were missing in the wake of the fire after speaking to her family and friends.

“It’s absolutely downplayed — it’s impossible that it’s 78,” Ms Fernandez told Channel 4 News, incorrectly citing the then-official death toll of 79. “You’ve got people that have lived there for their whole life and they’re missing 130 people of the community.”

She added: “Including the 79 there’s at least 130. That’s from me, my friends and family — and I didn’t know everyone in the tower.”

The comments came after Tottenham MP David Lammy argued the real number of people killed in the Grenfell Tower disaster may have been covered up to prevent riots.

"What people say is that if you put the numbers out early, there could be civil unrest. That's what they say," he told BBC Two's Newsnight.

The 1970s-era Grenfell tower block is believed to have contained 120 flats and have been home to between 400 and 600 people. But undocumented migrants and visiting partners, friends, and relatives are not included in this figure.

Ms Fernandez said there was no central list of people missing during the fire, and that the community surrounding the estate was working to determine who had been killed.

“We’re doing it, it’s footwork,” she said. “It’s the community’s footwork, it’s the neighbours … we [are] actually doing the numbers and remembering who was [there.]”

Survivors of the Grenfell fire have asked to be consulted on who chairs the probe into the disaster, saying their input was necessary to restore faith in the authorities. But No 10 rejected the request, citing rules on public inquiries.

“We need to be consulted in this,” Ms Fernandez said. “There has been a complete negligence from before, during and after the fire and we need a thorough investigation.”

Labour MP Mr Lammy, whose friend Khadija Saye died in the fire, said on Monday the public “cannot presume” authorities are collating lists of those unaccounted for.

“This is the sixth richest economy in the world,” he said. “If we have not assembled a list of the landlords in the building then what the hell are we capable of doing, where is the register?

“In one flat alone, people say there were up to 40 people gathering because… it was Ramadan.”

Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters on Monday it may not be possible to identify all of the victims due to the intensity of the fire.

The Met Police’s “major incident procedure” manual says: “There should be no speculation on fatality figures and the police should only confirm the number of dead after they have a true and accurate picture.”

The emergency services have not provided a number of how many people were found safe after the fire.