Grenfell Tower fire death toll may be lower than first feared, police say

Fewer people may have died in the Grenfell Tower fire than previously feared, police have said.

It was initially believed that more than 80 people died in the blaze in June. However, authorities say further investigations suggest the number of casualties could be lower.

Sky News has identified 60 people, including a stillborn baby, who are confirmed to have died. We know of 13 others who are still officially listed as missing but presumed dead

Commander Stuart Cundy said the original figure "may come down a little but" due to investigations since the deadly blaze.

But he said there could be people with no social or family connections outside of Grenfell, who have therefore not been identified as missing, whose bodies could still be inside.

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Police also announced a criminal investigation into the fire might consider individual as well as corporate manslaughter charges.

So far, the Metropolitan Police has interviewed 675 firefighters, 340 police officers and a similar number of ambulance staff, seizing 31 million documents as part of the investigation.

Detectives are also looking into eight cases of fraud involving people who claimed money following the disaster and four possible thefts from flats on the lower levels of the tower block.

:: Fire inquiry judge: We owe victims

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said the number of officers working in the tower was doubled on Monday in the hope of completing the recovery process by the New Year.

She said: "It's a really harrowing scene... and it takes a finger tip and sieved approach to ensure that we get every remain that we can out of there.

"It's a meticulous process and now it's becoming harder due to the degree of fire damage and the fragmentation of the remaining people we are finding."